Drugen Dourado and the Dark Secret
by Linorien
Summary: Merlin is having trouble getting over Arthur's death so when he gets an offer to teach at a newly created Hogwarts, he decides instead to attend as a student. It will be a good distraction from his troubles and a relaxing time of learning. But how long can he keep his identity secret when followers of the Old Religion decide that Hogwarts must be destroyed?
1. Chapter 1: The Black Bird at Dawn

Chapter 1: The Black Bird at Dawn

Merlin leaned against the stone archway in the shadows, his hood down low. He hated not being able to stay in the castle. He had tried to go back after Arthur had died. He owed it at least to Gwen. She was saddened but glad to hear Merlin had been at his side. She asked him to stay in Camelot. She was going to lift the magic ban, Merlin could be the Court Sorcerer, a prestigious position that had not been filled for some time.

But he declined. Everything here was tinged with sorrow. He packed his meager belongings, said a farewell to Gaius, and left for the woods. He had wandered aimlessly until he found himself in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. He smiled wryly. A place of so many past adventures and not far from the Crystal Caves where he truly discovered who he was. What he was. And so, using the power of the land that came so easily to him, he built himself a humble abode. It was well hidden so that he could mourn his friends in peace. He had hoped the forest would bring him that peace. And it usually did. But on the anniversary of certain events, like tonight, Merlin always managed to find himself within the familiar walls of Camelot, a silent sentinel, longing for the past.

When Merlin returned to his home he found a raven sitting on his table clutching a letter in its talons. It cawed once at Merlin and dropped the letter. Curious, Merlin unrolled the parchment.

_Dear Master Merlin Emrys,_

_We would like to cordially invite you to teach at our school for witchcraft and wizardry. We have heard of your great deeds in Camelot and feel you would be a valuable asset both to us and to our young students._

_Of course we understand if you are still needed in Camelot. However you are welcome to visit anytime._

_You may send your response with Elaine, the raven. Term beginning September first. We eagerly wait your reply._

_Humbly yours,_

_Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin_

_Founders of Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry_

Merlin reread the letter. A school, specifically for teaching those with magic? After keeping his secret for so long it would feel good to be surrounded by others with similar powers. Although he couldn't really see himself teaching. Merlin sat down on his chair to ponder this opportunity. If he did accept, what would he teach? His powers were instinctual, not something that was ever taught to him. Although he and Gaius has looked up many counterspells in books. Maybe he could teach counterspells and defences against dark magic. Or possibly potions and the healing arts. Gaius had ensured that he was good at that. He knew he was the last Dragonlord, but maybe he could help others students who had a strong affinity for animals. Merlin tried to picture himself teaching young students. In his imagination he pictured himself as Dragoon, a wise old teacher like Gaius was to him.

But that gave him another idea. He could easily use magic to age himself and look older. What was stopping him from reversing that and looking a few years younger? He took a piece of parchment from his desk and grabbed a quill.

_To the Founders of Hogwarts,_

_I regret to inform you that I am declining your generous offer to teach at your fine school. However, I would propose another option. I would be most interested in attending your school as a student. In disguise, of course. It would help me keep my mind from other things and I would still be happy to lend you my advice if you would like._

_I am very interested in more knowledge of this school of yours. I look forward to your response._

_Sincerely__,_

_Merlin_

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**A/N: Before we continue I will clarify a few things. This takes place many years (well, around 8 years) after Arthur's death. Gwen and many of the remaining knights have children of their own now. Camelot is moving on without Arthur and Merlin even though he still clings to the place. He is finding it hard to move on with his life and Hogwarts will provide this distraction.**

**Hogwarts is only in its fourth year. Although it is the same huge castle, there is still a very small amount of students and the word has not spread very far yet. Why didn't they ask Merlin to teach before? Quite simple, they didn't have more than four or five classes. Now they are looking to offer new subjects and so much reach out beyond their immediate friends to fill teaching positions.**

**If you have any other questions along the way regarding the story don't hesitate to ask. Also feel free to leave a review with your thoughts or even ideas for what should happen later. I'm always open to new ideas. Enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 2: A Fresh Start

Chapter 2: A Fresh Start

Merlin, under the guise of the guise of Drugen Dourado*, was standing in the great hall with the other first year students while the older students sat at four tables. Most people from Camelot would not have recognised him. He looked to be only fourteen years of age, slightly older than the average first year, but some were older still. He had let his raven black hair grow out slightly longer so that his ears did not stick out as much. Gone was the neckerchief and old servant attire. He had black trousers with a dark green shirt. Over this he wore a grey cloak as many of the other first year students did. It matched his soft blue-grey eyes, the one feature that had the potential to be a dead giveaway. From a first, even second glance, Merlin appeared to be a typical young boy who was excited and even a little bit nervous to be out on his own, far away from home. But a closer look at his eyes and you saw the wisdom and sorrow of a man much older.

"Drugen Dourado?" Salazar Slytherin called from the dais, reading off a list of all the new students. Merlin made his way to the front of the hall and sat on the stool while Rowena placed the Sorting Hat upon his head.

_Well, well. You aren't all that you seem, Emrys,_ the hat drawled inside his head.

_Now hush you; don't go ruining this the first day I get here,_ Merlin scolded, not at all put off that he was talking to a hat. He had stranger days.

_I won't do that, I'm only here to sort you. Although you are a tricky one. You have skill with plants and herbs and loyalty as fierce as Helga coupled with the intelligence of Rowena. Hiding your magic in Camelot, that's the bravery, or stupidity, of Godric._ Merlin smiled a little at that. _Yet your ambition to protect your king and bring about a golden age of magic, well that is very Salazar. Emrys, you were born of magic. I believe you would know where to sort yourself better than I. The choice is yours. _Merlin thought for a moment, remembering what the founders had told them of each of their houses, plus what Merlin had picked up about them as people.

_I believe I would do best in Salazar's house._

_Very well._ The Sorting Hat then called out to the student body, "Slytherin!" There were cheers from all around, but slightly louder from the table against the right wall. So when Rowena took the hat off his head, he sat himself down at that table and exchanged a secret grin with Salazar before the next student was called.

A few more first years joined him at the Slytherin table and the sorting was soon over. Godric stood up to give a speech.

"Welcome, all of you, to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the first years among us, or those who have simply forgotten, allow me to introduce your professors. Helga Hufflepuff will be teaching Herbology and Healing. Rowena Ravenclaw will be teaching Charms and Enchantments. Salazar Slytherin will be teaching Astronomy and Woodcraft. Aria Hemslock will teach History of Magic. Geoffrey Goodfellow will teach Runes. And I, Godric Gryffindor, shall be teaching Counterspells and Protection." He gave a mock bow and a few of the older student chuckled. "Before we enjoy a most delicious meal, there are a few rules. Student of all houses are expected to work together and respect each other, regardless of background or skill. There will be not practicing of magic in the corridors, this castle is magic enough as it is, we don't need any of you giving it new ideas. There is a restricted section of the library and we expect that to be respected. The forest is still unexplored and should be entered with caution. Other than that, study hard and have fun. Let the feast begin!" He clapped his hands and a small army of serving boys came laden with plates of delicious foods.

Merlin was quite excited. He was a decent cook but he had been starting to miss Camelot's kitchen. The students all dug in eagerly."What did they say your name was?" a girl next to him asked.

"Drugen," he responded. "What's yours?"

"Flora. My mother loved nature."

"My mother did too." They shared a small smile.

"So what type of wand do you have? Mine is Willow with a unicorn tail and is thirteen inches." She pulled it out of her cloak pocket to show him. It was very plain, but elegant in its simplicity.

"I brought a staff instead." Flora looked around, puzzled. "It's with my luggage, it's a bit big to bring if I don't need it. I'll show you when we get to our dorm."

"I would like that. Do you know anyone else here?"

"Not really," Merlin replied. "I recognize a few faces but it may just be a coincidence. What about you?"

"I have a friend named Libæna who grew up in a neighboring village. We used to meet in the fields and play together." She smiled at the fond memories. "She is in Hufflepuff."

"I would love to meet her."

"I'll get her to join us for breakfast tomorrow morning then."

"That sounds excellent."

Later that night, as Merlin lay in the four poster bed, staring up at the ceiling, he realised he had hardly thought about Arthur all day. And he had made new friends. Maybe this would be even better for him than he thought. After all, as a fourteen year old boy, he had no responsibilities to worry about. Not a care in the world.

And with that thought, he drifted off into a deep sleep. More peaceful than he had in a long time."

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A/N: Dourado is Gaelic for Golden; I thought it would fit what with his eyes turning golden when he used magic.

Libæna is very similar to the Czech word for love


	3. Chapter 3: Just your Average 14 year-old

**A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and favourites. I am delighted that so many people are enjoying the story thus far. **

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Chapter 3: Just your Average 14 year-old boy

The next morning at breakfast as Merlin, Flora, and Libæna sat together, they compared their schedules.

"It looks like we all have Runes together first thing this morning." Flora had quickly taken a leadership role within their little group. Merlin was perfectly happy to let someone else take charge and Libæna seemed to be used to it. "After that, Drugen and I have Herbology and Healing while Libæna has Counterspells and Potions. Following lunch, Drugen has Counterspells and Potions, Libæna has Astronomy and Woodcraft, and I have History of Magic. Then Libæna and I have Charms and Enchantments while Drugen takes Astronomy and Woodcraft. Tuesdays and Thursdays we have the other two classes, sadly for longer time slots." They all groaned. "And Saturday at midnight is one hour of Astronomy on the lawn. And that's everyone all together."

"Sounds relaxing," Merlin added. They speculated a bit more on what classes would be like before they noticed the older students beginning to leave. They glanced at the enchanted clock on the fireplace mantle and stood up as well.

"Let's go find this class." They wandered up to the tower where it said class would be held. It didn't take too long; a few of the paintings had been enchanted and gave them directions. One of the paintings of a druid gathering had winked at Merlin who indicated for them to keep his identity a secret once his friends had turned their backs. They nodded and let him know that they would spread the word.

When they reached the classroom, they found each place had a book already there. Professor Goodfellow told them that these would be their textbooks for the year. They were expected to be returned at the end of the course in just the same condition as they were now. While waiting for the rest of the small class to find their way in, Merlin open the book and flipped through. A small smile grew on his face. He only knew a few runes and he had never had the time to learn more. Now he had practically unlimited time to devote to learning them and everything else to fill in his gaps of knowledge. This would be even more fun then he had originally thought.

Saturday after dinner, Merlin was outside walking alone in the forest. It was a good place for him to think, especially since not many other students were brave enough to enter the unexplored wild. Merlin figured he could handle whatever dangers might cross his path.

So far, he loved it at Hogwarts. It was a little strange being called Drugen by everyone, but it was becoming more natural to respond to that. He had to scale back a little bit on his skill and actually channeled his magic through the staff even though he didn't need to. It seemed that nearly everyone else needed a wand or a staff to perform spells so he would try his best to blend in. There were some druids who didn't need to and others that hadn't learned anything more difficult than some useful healing from the village healer, but neither of those options would've made good cover stories for him.

Merlin got deeper into the forest and let his cover slip away. He loosened his muscles a little and lengthened his stride. Although this had been a good escape for a week, Merlin realized he would still want a small place of his own to hide some things that may prove useful for later. So when he reached a suitable spot, he used his magic to create a small one room house underground. The entrance was hidden by a tangle of roots and inside there was just enough room for a chair and a small desk among some shelves of books and herbs that Gaius had taught him to always have on hand. He sat on his newly made chair and tried to plan what things he should bring to fill the shelves. He had all the herbs he needed back in the Valley of the Fallen Kings. He also had plenty of books there, but he wouldn't need all of them. He would be already pressed for time reading all his new textbooks, maybe he would only bring some of the more obscure ones that covered what he considered to be useful magic. He had a few books covering magic that Gaius had told him was more advanced than most druids ever achieved but Merlin would find easier. That would be a good book to study up on in his spare time since it clearly wouldn't be covered here.

Or maybe he would just relax and fully pretend to be a normal fourteen year old boy who happened to know a bit of magic and had a staff that looked a little bit pretentious. In hindsight, he should have seen if he could have changed it's appearance in addition to it's size, but it would be too late now to do anything about it. His friends would notice.

That was another nice thing he liked. It was good to have friends who he didn't have to hide his secret from. Well, he didn't have to hide the fact that he had magic, he was still hiding his true self, but that wasn't as hard. Aside from knowing he had magic, it wasn't until after he had arrived at Camelot that he knew he was wound up in any type of destiny at all and had a magic no one else had. All in all, it was good. With a spring in his step he walked back toward the front lawn for the midnight astronomy class. Although the class only lasted an hour, he had a feeling he would stay laying out under the stars for most of the night.


	4. Chapter 4: Teaching the Teachers

**Another chapter? So soon? Yes, but like everything in the magical world it comes with a price. But first, the chapter.**

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Chapter 4: Teaching the Teachers

One night, Merlin walked back to his bed and found a note folded on his pillow addressed to him. He opened it to see that it was a letter from Salazar asking Merlin to meet with him and the other founders that night in Salazar's office. They would expect him at ten o' clock. He glanced at the clock to see that it was a quarter till. Figuring it couldn't hurt to be there early, he snuck out of the common room and walked towards Salazar's office. Well, there was a slight detour to sneak another pastry from the kitchens first. He arrived to find the four founders sitting in chairs by the roaring fire and an empty one for himself. Merlin shut the door behind him and let his disguise slip away before sitting down.

"You really must tell us how you do that with such ease Merlin," Rowena said astounded.

"There is a potion that can do it that I used for a while, but now I don't have to think about it." Merlin took the offered cup of tea. "I'll give you the recipe some time, Helga."

"That would be most appreciated."

"So how is it?" Godric asked. "Being young again, I mean."

"It's fun." Merlin grinned. "It's less about being younger and more about not having chores to do or a King to keep out of trouble. And its freeing to be able to acknowledge my magic, even if I have to hide the full extent of my powers. Even I don't really know all I'm capable of."

"You are a mystery as always Merlin," Salazar laughed. "If you ever find something you can't do, I want to be the first to know."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So what do you think of the classes?" Rowena asked. "I'll admit it seems strange for us to be teaching you when really it should be the other way around." The others nodded in agreement.

"Nonsense." Merlin shook his head and set down his tea on the small table in the center of their semicircle. "Sure I know a lot of the healing arts, but I only just learned the other uses of Athelas. And I don't really know that many charms and enchantments. A lot of what I do is instinctual but for the specific cases I always had to go back to the books. And astronomy? I only know what every country boy knows. What constellations signal the time of harvest and which means planting season. You have already taught me a lot in just this first week alone. You have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you for your kind words." Salazar smiled at him. He had noticed Merlin's pure enthusiasm when he had been teaching him. "I have to say, I'm surprised you ended up in my house, from what I've seen, your passion for learning is as strong as Rowena's." They both blushed a little at that.

"Well, I never got much time for learning in Camelot. It is a welcome relief from all the work." He decided not to outright tell them that he had chosen Slytherin for fear of offending the other three. They nodded their understanding and a pleasant silence fell in the room. Despite Salazar's office being in the basement, with the roaring fire, it felt quite homey to Merlin. There were bookshelves aplenty and night sky charts hanging on the walls. The ceiling was actually enchanted so that the stars were always shining above them and they still would be even during the day.

"I hate to break this comfortable silence," Helga interrupted. "But there was something else we wanted to discuss."

"Oh yes," Godric set down his glass and folded his hands in his lap. "As you know, this school is still very new. Not everyone is used to the idea of a school for people with magic. There are hardly any places of learning for those without magic so people are bound to be suspicious. I'm afraid that although England has become more accepting of magic again, thanks to you and Queen Guinevere, there are still those that are suspicious. And even some of our own kind are wary. We think there is a group of those of the Old Religion who are trying to take this school down. They believe that magic can only truly be taught by their priestesses and by the druids."

"Do the druids share this view? They are mostly a peaceful people."

"No, they are content to stay out of it. As you may have noticed, there are very few druids here since they have been teaching their children for centuries and don't see any reason to change now, but they have acknowledged that Hogwarts is a good idea for those not born to a druid family. They won't be an issue."

"I'm glad."

"But we are worried about attacks from members of the Old Religion. If that happens, we want to know if we can count on your help. We understand that you are in disguise here and-"

"Of course I will help," Merlin interrupted. "I've been defending Camelot against similar threats for years while pretending to be a clumsy servant without a drop of magical abilities. I am not about to let all that you've worked for fall because I want to escape my responsibilities for a while." A visible weight was lifted from their shoulders. They had hoped he would agree, but they didn't want to assume.

"Thank you, Merlin," Rowena said. "We would not like to break your cover if not necessary, so what is the best way to get in touch with you if we do need you?"

"Do any of you have blood ties to the druids?" Salazar put up his hand.

"On my mother's side, her grandmother was a druid."

"Have you used thought communication before?" He shook his head. "It just may work

still." Merlin turned to the rest of them. "The druids have a way of communicating among themselves in their minds. It has proved useful in the past. I have only known druids to have this ability, but you still be able to hear me if I open a link." _Nod if you can hear me. _They all nodded with wide eyes. _Now if you think your thoughts I will be able to hear them because I have opened a communication link._

_Just like this?_ Helga thought.

_Just like that Helga,_ Merlin affirmed.

_This is amazing_, thought Rowena.

_And has the potential to be very useful,_ Salazar added with a grin that Merlin didn't need to look at him to know was there.

_So we can reach you this way?_ Godric asked.

_Maybe._ "Now I've broken off the connection, you can't hear each other and I can't hear you. He watched as they took a moment to tried to listen for each other's inner voices but they had no luck. "Now Salazar, you may be also able to open up a connection. It may take some practice before it becomes easy, so try to reach for my mind first. It should be easier to find."

"How?"

"I'm sorry. Again I don't really know. Just let your instincts guide you." They all watched as Salazar bit his lip and shut his eyes in concentration. "Just try to project a simple thought, my name, for instance." Salazar nodded and concentrated harder, trying to feel for Merlin with his mind.

_Merlin._ It was very faint but he could just barely hear Salazar in his mind.

_That's it,_ Merlin encouraged and tried to subtly lead him down the mental tunnel between their minds he had thrown up to block the normal distractions.

_Merlin?_ His inner voice was stronger now.

_You did it!_ A smile lit up both of their faces.

_Now how do I cut off the connection?_

_It feels like you are in my mind right now, yes? _Merlin could see him nod. _Just imagine yourself drawing back and coming back into your own mind._ Merlin felt his presence recede. Salazar opened his eyes and looked at Merlin.

_Am I out of your mind? _Merlin watched as his smile got bigger when he realised Merlin didn't hear his question. "This is brilliant!"

"Excellent. Now with some practice, you will be able to make the connection faster and from further away. I'd encourage you to try to make the connection everyday before Astronomy starts. I'll probably be there early so that you have more time to try before class starts; Godric's classroom isn't too far from yours."

"A fine plan."

"Then if something comes up, Salazar can contact me and I can establish a stronger connection with everyone. Until your distance increases a sufficient amount, notes still work or you can send me a raven with a message."

"A fine plan." They all nodded their agreement. "Well we will let you head back before your friends start to think something is up." Merlin stood.

"Thank you for the warning. And the tea." He transformed back into his younger self as he walked to the door. With his hand on the handle he turned back. "Oh, I almost forgot. I should tell you that I built myself a small underground room deep in the forest for some of my other books and things. It's pretty hidden but I thought you should know it is there." And with that, he walked back into his life as Drugen, the young, carefree boy.

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**And now the price. It's not much, only I need help with the story. I need ideas for pranks that might happen at Hogwarts. Or in any school really. Any half-fabricated ideas, what-if ideas, or full blown ideas that really deserve their own story. Or even something fun you would do if you had magic. Nothing is too crazy. And of course, the more ideas I get directly influences how fast I am writing this story. Cheers guys. I look forward to your ideas.**


	5. Chapter 5: Protection

**I've been really productive in my writing so you guys get another chapter. Keep those prank ideas coming.**

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Chapter 5: Protection

By the end of the week, Merlin had his classes all sorted out. Most of them would be enjoyable; although he hadn't chosen Ravenclaw's house, he did love to learn new things. But History of Magic? He wanted to skip that class. He didn't know all of it, but he knew that before long they would start to talk about Camelot, and the great Merlin himself. In terms of history, it

hadn't been that long since Gwen's repeal of the laws against magic and Camelot's Silver Age. And although Merlin often complained to Gaius that he didn't get any credit for the saving he was always doing, he did prefer to stay in the shadows. Sometimes a job well done meant no one knew what the job was or that it had been done. So being lectured on his own achievements and adventures with Arthur? Both would be grossly over exaggerated and highly embarrassing. And he didn't have a good cover story for why it would be embarrassing. All in all, he thought it best if he tried to sleep through that class. He could do the readings later.

The only other major difficulty was getting used to using the staff to channel his powers. Being born of magic, he needed no such enabler, but it seemed that magic folk here in the north were not as connected to magic so performing magic without an enabler, whether a staff or the more popular wand, was practically unheard of.

At the beginning of the third week of classes, he walked into Salazar's classroom and felt a familiar presence knocking at the walls of his mind. He let him in.

"_Merlin?"_

"_You did it!" _Merlin grinned at him as the other students filed in. "_Excellent work."_

"_I think I finally understand what you meant about reaching out for your mind."_

"_Good. That's what it had always felt like for me but I wasn't sure if it was the same for others. Now you should probably start class rather than staring at me." _Merlin raised his eyebrows and Salazar noticed that the classroom had filled up and a few people were starting to look at him curiously.

"_Right. Thanks."_ He cleared his throat and addressed the class. "Today we will have a quiz on identifying different plants by their leaves." He waved his wand and the stack of papers on his desk floated to each student. They pulled out their quills. "I want you to write down the plant name and where you would find it. Bonus points for identifying the plants that are edible. You have the entire period and there should not be any talking."

The class groaned and got to work. So far they hadn't had any quizzes in this class and they were hoping it would stay that way. But naturally their first quiz had to be a pop quiz. Salazar smiled at their groans and sat at his desk and picked up a book.

_Merlin?_

_What did you want to tell me?_ Merlin had noticed he hadn't severed the connection so he had been expecting this.

_The others wanted me to tell you that there were attacks on our wards yesterday. They are still holding but we were wondering if you could add some extra protection?_

_Only if you tell me where the twinflower is found._

_That's cheating._

_I am a snake, I had to try._

_True. Moist areas like temperate forests._

_Ah, but how do I know you aren't lying._

_You don't. _Merlin looked up from his quiz and they grinned at each other.

_Good thing I knew the answer anyways._ He scribbled down the answers while they continued to talk.

_So you will add some extra protection?_ Salazar asked as he turned his attention back to his book after taking a look around to make sure no one else was trying to cheat.

_Yea. Did you have anything specific in mind?_

_Not really. Something maybe to strengthen the charms we have and maybe some extra protection of the students. _

_Okay. I'll think on it._ Merlin wrote down his last answer and brought the test up to Salazar's desk. _Thanks for the help._ Before Salazar could figure out that Merlin had found the answers he didn't know in Salazar's mind while they were talking, he cut the connection and walked out of the classroom. There was still time left in the class period so he had the hallways to himself. Aimlessly he wandered the halls while he brainstormed ways to protect the castle. Back in Camelot he had some basic spells that he had put around the walls that he could install here. But those alone would not be enough.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair as he sat on the steps. At Camelot there were others to protect the city. Arthur and his knights did most of the day to day protecting really. Although they seemed useless most of the time, Merlin knew that they dealt with many threats that didn't require magic. His eyes fell on a statue of armour in the hallway and he grinned. Maybe they wouldn't necessarily need people inside the suits of armour for them to provide protection. If he could somehow enchant the suits of armor to protect the students within the castle when there was a threat.

Merlin jumped to his feet and dashed to the forest. As soon as he was under the cover of the trees, he lost his disguise so that he could run faster. He jumped down into his little room and grabbed one of his books of magic. He used his powers to scan the book for useful spells. Not seeing any he moved on to the next book until he found a spell that might work. It was a spell for sword making. The sword would have almost a life of its own, devoted to protecting its master. With a little modification, it just might be able to be applied to the hollow knights of Hogwarts.

In the distance, he could hear the bells signalling the end of class. Although it was the last class of the day, he knew he would have to get back before his friends noticed his absence. Grabbing a spare piece of parchment, he cast a spell to make a copy of the page in the book. Satisfied, he rolled up the copy and hid it up his sleeve. He would have time to look at it tonight after the rest of the dorm had gone to sleep.

Merlin snuck down to Salazar's office and gently tapped on the door. He heard footsteps and the door opened to a very tired looking professor. His face said he was not happy about being disturbed.

"Sorry, sir," Merlin backtracked. "I can come back in the morning if you wish."

"Merlin?" Salazar blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "Have you thought of something?"

"Yes, well, maybe. Can I come in?"

"Of course." Salazar opened the door wider to allow him inside. "You do remember how students aren't suppose to be out of their dorms this late? You could've been caught."

"Really?" Merlin snorted. "I'd like to see them try." Salazar smiled back and gestured for him to take a seat. "Reinforcing the wards you already have in place won't be a problem. I have already taken a look at them and I can do that tonight after we finish talking. They are good. I can add a few others too."

"What did we miss?"

"It's uncommon, but I've know some followers of the old religion to be able to transport themselves instantly to another place. I think you know how troublesome it would be if they suddenly could appear anywhere in the castle."

"But why won't they have done that already?" he asked. "Surely that would be a much better strategy."

"I've only seen a handful who had that skill. They are all dead." The coldness in his eyes momentarily took Salazar by surprise. It looked out of place on the young face. "But there may be others who know or are trying to learn. I can create a ward around the castle so that no one can transport themselves within the grounds."

"That would be a relief."

"I'll have to do some more research, but I may also be able to make the school unplottable. However, that would provide some complications at the beginning of term so that might not be what you want."

"I'll discuss that with the others and let you know. What others?"

"There is one more I have been thinking of but I'm not sure if I can make it work so I'd rather not mention it." He looked down at his hands in his lap.

"Nonsense. This is you we are talking about." He patted Merlin's shoulder. "Of course you can do it."

"Thank you for your faith in me. I only hope it works. But I also would prefer that it never gets tested." Salazar nodded and they sat together in companionable silence for a while longer. Merlin thinking on how he can change the spell to enchant the entire suit of armor, Salazar wondering how someone as powerful as Merlin could have doubts in his ability. Sitting in front of his was a man only a few years younger than him, though he effortly appeared as a child.

This was the man who helped King Arthur to unite the five kingdoms and created safe passage between the lands. Then, even after the King died, Queen Guinevere lifted the ban on magic. She openly celebrated all that Merlin had done to bring this day about. It should've been his great day of triumph, but Merlin was nowhere to be found. And even though no one knew where he disappeared too, certain laws were passed that Salazar knew he had advised on. He had always worked in the background for the King, and Salazar wasn't too surprised that he would want to stay that way. After all, he was hiding here at Hogwarts.

"Why don't you ever want credit for all the great things you have done?" Salazar asked softly. Merlin looked up in surprise.

"What?"

"You were sorted into my house which means you are ambitious, yet you take no credit for the things you have done."

"Arthur deserved most of the credit. All I did was nudge him in the right direction."

"But even after he died, I know you were still helping in Camelot. And the ban on magic was lifted; you didn't have to hide who you were any longer."

"I don't know what you are talking about," he said sternly. "I didn't return to Camelot after the battle. That was all Gwen's doing."

"No, some of those decrees could have only been written by someone who had magic and knew what it was like to keep that part of them hidden and live in constant danger." Merlin stood.

"I really must go work on reinforcing those charms. I will see you in class." He strode to the door and shut it behind him with a low thud.

_Merlin!_ Salazar tried to call out in his head but Merlin refused to acknowledge him.

On one hand, he couldn't blame Salazar for asking. He wasn't the first to ask. But this was an unpleasant reminder of the past. But on the other hand, maybe he needed the past. Gaius would know something to enchant the armour with. He hadn't heard from Gaius in a while. Maybe he should send him a letter. Let him know things were going well.

But right now he needed to focus on these wards. He needed somewhere no one would bother him. He was pacing back and forth, going over a mental map of the castle for a place that would be secret he noticed a door out of the corner of his eye. As he looked, the door grew to fill the wall. They were elegantly decorated so Merlin was positive they weren't there before; he would've noticed the abundance of druid symbols. He walked up and stroked the wood.

"What are you?" he muttered. A scroll appeared before the door, floating at his eye level.

_I am whatever you require me to be, Emrys._ The paper burst into flames as soon as he read it. Curious, Merlin pushed open the door and gasped in surprise.

The room was enormous. And filled with books. It put Camelot's library to shame. There were scattered tables around the edges of the room and a few shelves with medicinal herbs like Gaius had. A fireplace was in the center and Merlin lit it without a second's thought. Sitting on a pedestal near the center was a book. "Advanced Spells of Protection" by Alexander Pudgenson. With an excited smile, Merlin extended a hand to lock the doors and let his disguise slip away. He flipped through the book and found a spell to enchant a knight's armour. Grabbing the slip of parchment still up his sleeve he set them side by side on the floor and crouched in front of them. It would be a long night, but he was confident he wouldn't be disturbed.

Morning found Merlin laying on the floor, papers scattered all around him with various notes and possible spells. It was only his habit of getting up at dawn that woke him with a yawn. He had reinforced the existing wards like he told Salazar he would and made it impossible to appear on the grounds. But the question of the hollow knights continued to plague him. He had left the room once last night to steal a suit of armour to practice his spell on. It hadn't seemed to work yet although he did succeed in making the sword stay sharp and unbreakable. It wasn't Excalibur, but it would be a fine blade. He would have to continue to work on it for a few more nights. But first, he had class to attend. He hurried back to the dungeons, smiling as the doors melted back into the wall to remain undetected.


	6. Chapter 6: Old Friends, New Faces

Chapter 6: Old Friends, New Faces

Saturday morning, Merlin was ecstatic. He had gotten the protection spell to work. The swords would stay sharp, they would deflect enemy magic, and then if the students were in danger they would defend them. But when they weren't needed, they would be just normal statues. No one would even notice. Now he only had to figure out how to enchant each suit of armour, not miss a single one, and not be caught. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to let the founders know. Keeping the secret would be worth it to see the surprise on their faces. So in bright spirits, the young looking warlock walked into the empty great hall early Saturday morning. He laid down on the Slytherin bench and watched the enchanted ceiling as the sun lit up the sky. The candles around the room provided the rest of the light, but they would soon blow themselves out when it was bright enough. With an even bigger smile, Merlin decided to take a small risk, since he was in good spirits. He sat up and held out his hands.

"Sit fumus erunt lucernis et serpentium." His eyes flashed gold and he laid back to wait for the rest of the school to arrive. Slowly they wandered in. Servants began filling up the tables with food and passing out plates. The professors also walked in, looking less tired then the students, but the students didn't really care about appearances. Flora and Libæna sat down on the bench next to Merlin who was already enjoying his sausages.

"You're in a good mood, Drugen." Libæna noticed as she sat down.

"Well, I have had a good morning so far."

"So far? Do you ever sleep in?" Libæna asked in amazement.

"Rarely." He grinned and held up a pitcher of grape juice. "Juice?"

"Seriously, you are missing the point of weekends," Flora said as she accepted his offer to pour her drink. "There are no classes to wake up for. Why would you insist on getting up before the sun."

"Because sometimes great stuff happens to those who wake up early." He grinned, as with impeccable timing, the candles blew themselves out. Normally this wouldn't be noticed, but this morning, the smoke curled up from the wicks and appeared as snakes, hissing as they hovered in the air before dissipating. The buzz of conversation was gone and everyone was looking at the Slytherin table. The Slytherins themselves were looking confused, none of them had been responsible. Well, not that they knew of. Merlin winked at his friends and schooled his features into a bored look as he took a long drink from his cup.

"Did you?" Flora whispered and gestured at the candles.

"Me? No." He denied. "I wouldn't know how to do that."

"But you seemed to know it was going to happen." Libæna propped her chin on her arm and narrowed her eyes at him. "Is that why you were smiling when we came in?"

"I had no idea." He continued to deny the truth.

"I don't trust you." She stood up with a haughty _hmph_ and grabbed her food. "I'm going to go sit at my table."

"Libæna wait." Flora grabbed her arm. "Don't leave just because Drugen is being an idiot."

"I'm not." She smiled at both of them. "I did promise Lena that I would have breakfast with her this morning though and I just saw her sit down. I'll see you later." They watched her walk off and slide into a seat next to a small druid girl. One of the few druids, Libæna was eager to learn more about their lifestyle from her.

"She got us good," Merlin said as he nudged Flora in the side. She scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I still think you knew. I don't think you could've done it, but somehow you knew." Merlin had a great retort on the tip of his tongue but he was interrupted by a servant bringing him a letter. It was folded with his false name scrawled on the front. But he recognised that script anywhere. He quickly unfolded the parchment and angled it away from Flora as he read.

_Merlin,_

_It was good to hear from you. I am glad you are adjusting to your new life. I know it is probably strange, but I do believe you made the right decision. I am truly sorry that you still have to hide who you are though._

_Camelot misses you still but life has continued on. Percival and Elaine have a newborn daughter now named Florence. She has Percival's eyes. Already she is a strong and feisty little child. _

_If you ever need a break from hiding you are always welcome here. Your room is still as you've left it last time you visited. I've told Gwen where you are and she insists on including a note of her own. _

_Stay safe my boy. _

_Gaius_

On the second page was Gwen's note.

_Merlin,_

_I'm sure Gaius has told you that everything is fine here. We miss you but life moves on. What he hasn't told you though, is that he is very sick. He has resigned as Court Physician and is only serving in an advising role to the replacement he has been training. He spends most of his day in bed resting and, oh Merlin we are worried. I know you are attending lessons, but if you can find time to come back to Camelot and see him __before _

_Please Merlin. I know you mean the world to him. _

_Gwen_

Merlin numbly folded the papers again and clutched them in his hands.

"Drugen?" Flora laid her hand on his arm. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"I, er, I need to go home." Her face fell. "I'll be back. It's just, my, my uncle. He's dying and I want to see him one last time before he, you know. Dies."

"Of course. How far is home? Will you be back by Monday?"

"I'm not sure. I'll tell Professor Slytherin just in case. I must go pack."

"I'll tell Libæna. Safe travels."

"Thank you." He stood and put the letter in his pocket. As he walked out the door and broke into a run, he reached out to Salazar. _I have to go back to Camelot. Hopefully just for the weekend. _

_Okay. Anything serious? Could we help in any way?_

_Can I borrow a horse?_

_Yes. Just ask the stable hand for my horse. His name is Alexander. _

_Thank you. _Merlin cut the connection and finished throwing a few more supplies into his bag. Knowing he wouldn't need it, he threw his staff into his wardrobe and locked it with a spell no one but he could unlock. Within minutes he was back on horseback, galloping across the grounds. Although no one was around to notice, he did not transform back into his true age so that he was lighter on the horse's back and it wouldn't tire as fast.

He reached Camelot before supper time. He rode Alexander to the stables and patted him down. Both the horse and Merlin were exhausted and hungry. Even though he was confident in his abilities to sneak through Camelot unnoticed, he knew that it would be easier as a young boy. So he darted up the servant's stairs, ducked and wove through the kitchen, snagging a biscuit on the way, and slipped into crevices whenever guards approached. He made it to Gaius's chambers without incident. Taking a deep breath, he cracked open the door to see if anyone was inside. Sure enough, Gaius could be seen resting on his cot but there was no one else. Double checking that no one was approaching, he let his disguise fall away and walked in. Gaius opened his eyes and looked to see who it was.

"Merlin?" He sat up. "What are you doing here?"

"Gwen told me you were ill." He pulled a stool over and sat beside him. "I had to see how you were and if there was anything I could do." Gaius put his hand on Merlin's arm.

"I'm afraid not this time. I'm old and my time is drawing to an end. It's not even painful; I simply have less energy."

"I'm sorry, Gaius."

"No, come now. Tell me all about Hogwarts. You only gave me a taste in your letter."

"Okay, only I need some food first." Gaius smiled. Some things never change. They sat together and Merlin told him about his new friends, his classes, and the spells he had put up around the castle. Gaius made suggestions here and there, but mostly listened raptly. When Merlin had finished telling him about Hogwarts, he begged Gaius to tell him of Camelot. And so Gaius told him stories of the knights' children and their antics. They laughed at young Elyon finding out that the head of the kitchen was not a woman to be crossed. He felt pride for Leon at raising a daughter who was already very wise. And he was glad to hear that the young Pendragon was growing up to be like his father.

"Does he still parade around with a kitchen knife at his side?" Merlin asked. The prince had been very young when Merlin last visited Camelot and spoke with his friends inside.

"He has grown up enough that Gwen trusts him with his own short sword. Already he has begun training. Leon has made sure of it. He doesn't want to disappoint Arthur."

"Nothing Leon could do would ever disappoint Arthur." Merlin shook his head. "Surely he knows that."

"I'm sure he does, but nonetheless he still is driven by a desire to honour his memory." Merlin sighed. He couldn't deny the same drive often drove him too. "Now you had best go and see Gwen. She wouldn't forgive either of us if you left without seeing her."

"You're right." Merlin laughed as he stood. "She'd probably send a search party to Hogwarts to drag me back and I can't have that. I'll return soon."

Merlin gently knocked on the door before entering. Gwen was sitting at the table looking over stacks of paper, her quill twirling between her forefinger and thumb. She glanced up tiredly to see who was at the door.

"Merlin? Merlin!" She threw down her quill and ran over to embrace him in a tight embrace. "Well this isn't fair, you don't look like you have aged a day since I last saw you." He laughed.

"I have aged, don't worry. Although my latest disguise is almost as fun as being eighty."

"And what is that?" She frowned and put her hands on her hips. She still couldn't quite believe that Dragoon the Great had been Merlin all along. Nor could she wrap her mind around the idea that her clean shaven friend would eventually have the longest beard she had ever seen. Merlin smirked and transformed into Drugen.

"Drugen Dourado at your service, your highness." He gave a mocking bow that made Gwen giggle. She could see why he was enjoying his time at Hogwarts. It was good to see that carefree smile again, even if it was on a face that was unfamiliar to her.

"Stop it. Now you really are making me feel old." He dropped the disguise. "Come sit with me. Gaius told me some things about this school you are attending, but I want to hear it from you." So they sat at the table and he gave her a condensed version of all he had been up to. Then she updated him on the success of the new magic laws they had worked together on and shared some of her daily life. Gwen made the mistake of mentioning that she was struggling with a few different laws at the moment and soon they were both working finding the right wording to use. They had just finished another when someone burst into the room.

"Mother, I was sent to tell you it is supper time," the young boy said as he slammed the door closed behind him. Merlin stared at the young Pendragon. His resemblance of Arthur was eerie. They didn't look the same, the boy had inherited more of Gwen's looks, but the way he spoke and carried himself was all Arthur.

"Thank you Ambrose." He was about to leave but then he saw Merlin and his face lit up.

"Uncle Merlin!" he cried, running towards him with outstretched arms. Merlin stood from his chair and embraced the boy. Although while he did, he raised his eyebrows at Gwen.

"Uncle?" he mouthed.

"You and Arthur were closer than brothers. And without you we would've never been together," she explained. "It was the least I could do considering you don't let me recognise you for anything else." Merlin was going to argue, but he was interrupted.

"Uncle Merlin it's so good to see you. Mother has told me lots of stories about you. She says you have lots of magic and you saved father a lot. Can you show me some magic? I wanna see good magic. Can you teach me magic?"

"Woah, slow down." Merlin raised his hands to stop the questions. "It's good to see you too, Ambrose. You've grown up a lot since I last saw you. Now you wanted to see some magic." He squatted down so that Ambrose was taller than him. "Good magic, you said. What do you want to see?"

"A dragon! I know there's no more dragons but I want to see one."

"There are still real dragons left, but I'll save them for later. For now..." He beckoned with his hands and the flames from the candles in the room floated over to him. With gold in his eyes, he waved a hand and the flames were replaced with a fiery dragon. It's large wings stirred their hair as it flew around the room. Merlin was delighted to see the joy on the young boy's face. It made him wish he had stayed in Camelot. But that could never be. And with that thought, he plunged the room into momentary darkness as the dragon vanished and the candles relit themselves.

"You both had best be getting to dinner before someone wonders what is keeping you."

"Join us Merlin," Gwen immediately offered. Merlin straightened himself out.

"No, I'd rather keep my visit known only to my friends. And we both know how word spreads among the servants and then out to the rest of Camelot." She smiled wryly.

"But you still need food," she protested. "Come in disguise if you must, but you will have to eat."

"Alright." The emptiness in his stomach was a powerful persuasion. "But how will you explain my presence?"

"Depends on your disguise."

"That depends on your excuse. I can look however would be easiest." Gwen rolled her eyes. If anyone else had said that she would call them a show off, but from Merlin it was just honest fact. She thought for a minute.

"I could say you are the son of a friend I met in Ealdor when I stayed with your mother. Mary's son maybe." Merlin snorted.

"Perfect. She was always suspicious of me. Thought I was the one who kept painting her chicken's feathers."

"And were you?"

"Will and me. But that's besides the point. It should work." He stepped back from them and closed his eyes in concentration. As the Pendragons watched, Merlin once again returned to being a young teenager.

"Woah!" Ambrose couldn't speak for a moment. "Now you are almost my age! That's better than seeing a dragon!"

"Now Ambrose," Gwen cautioned. "Merlin is in disguise now so you must call him Drugen. You only just met him. And no mentions of his magic."

"Oh you can mention the magic if it comes up, but Drugen is not nearly as powerful as Merlin. You got it, Ambrose? This is a big responsibility."

"Yes sir!" He snapped to attention causing Merlin laugh and shake his head in disbelief.

"I could never get your father to do that."

* * *

**A/N: The spell I used is simply: Let the smoke of the candles become snake.**


	7. Chapter 7: Farewells

Chapter 7: Farewells

Merlin shuffled quietly behind Gwen into the hall for dinner. There wasn't any fancy occasion so it was mainly the knights and a few courtiers at two tables pushed together. He wasn't sure where to sit but Gwen motioned for him to take the seat next to Ambrose. It felt strange and he realised he never had actually sat down to dinner in the hall. He was always serving. It was quite a pleasant feeling.

"My lords, this is Drugen of Ealdor. Mary's son." Gwen introduced him when everyone had sat down. "He is visiting for a couple days and he is my guest." Merlin inclined his head shyly and took a drink from his glass to try to look embarrassed.

"Ealdor, you say." Leon leaned forward. "Has Merlin been back there recently?" Gwen quickly glanced at him but she needn't have worried.

"He has returned once or twice but I never really saw him. He stayed inside with his mother." That part was true. When Arthur had died he felt home was the only place he could go.

"Was he happy?" Percival asked. Merlin looked down awkwardly at his plate and took a deep breath.

"I couldn't say. That was five years ago and as I said, he stayed inside most of the time. Though my mother says he was always like that."

"I'm sure Merlin has carried on like we all have," Gwen smoothly brought the conversation to a halt. The rest of the meal continued with pleasant conversation and good food. Though Merlin would be hard pressed to say if Hogwarts or Camelot had better food. Small side conversations broke out, much food was consumed, and then they all dispersed to do whatever they were going to do before turning in for the night. Merlin followed Gwen back to her chambers in case anyone was watching. Ambrose tagged along as well, hoping to see some more magic. Gwen closed the door behind them and exhaled loudly.

"I think that went well," she exhaled. In the blink of an eye, Merlin dropped his disguise and put his arm on Gwen's shoulder.

"It was fine," he reassured her. "None of them suspected anything."

"How can you be sure?"

"Gwen." He gave her his sarcastic glare. "I've been hiding who I really am for how long? I think I can tell when people are suspicious." She rolled her eyes but was reassured. "After all, I knew when you had figured it out."

"That is true."

"However, I feel like maybe I should tell Percival and Leon. They did seem concerned for me."

"Was what you told them true? You did return home to Ealdor?"

"Yes. Why don't you invite Percival and Leon for lunch tomorrow, if nothing else is going on, and I can tell you more then."

"Can I come too?" Ambrose asked. Merlin turned in surprise; he kept forgetting about the prince. It wasn't that he didn't care, but Merlin's vision of Camelot was still stuck in pre-Camlaan days. He was surprised that Gwaine hadn't been at dinner before he remembered.

"Of course you can come. You are my nephew after all. Only don't spoil the surprise."

"I promise." He clamped his hand over his mouth.

"Good. Now off you go to bed," Gwen instructed. "Both of you. I know you've had a long ride and all the transforming you've done today has taken more energy than you are showing. Go get some rest." The boys both said goodnight and slumped off to their rooms. Gaius had already fallen asleep when Merlin returned so he went straight to his bed. It wasn't as comfortable as his bed at Hogwarts but Gwen was right. One more transformation and even he would've fallen over in exhaustion. He needed to exercise his powers more often; he hadn't even noticed his energy getting weaker again. It would be hard to push his limits while at school but he would find a way. And with that thought, the young warlock was fast asleep.

He spent the rest of his visit talking with the knights but mostly sitting with Gaius late into the night, not wanting to leave his side. And so Monday morning found Merlin still fast asleep in his bed when Flora went to the Great Hall for breakfast. She asked one of the boys if he had come back last night and Tom said he had heard him come in really late; he was still sleeping when he had come down for breakfast. Flora thanked him and returned to the dorms to try and wake her friend. If he hadn't woken up already, he would have to rush for Runes. She didn't see him in the common room so she took the stairs two at a time up to his room. She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh at what she found. Drugen was splayed out on top of the covers, one arm hanging over the side. He was still dressed and even still had his boots on, his feet also hanging over the end of the bed so that his covers wouldn't get dirty. Whether that was a conscious choice or not she didn't know. What she did know was that classes started in less than fifteen minutes and her friend was still asleep.

"Drugen?" She put her hand on his shoulder and gently shook him.

"Just five more minutes Gaius," Merlin mumbled.

"Drugen! Class starts in less than fifteen minutes. You need to get up now." Merlin opened one eye to look at her.

"You're not Gaius." He opened both eyes and shifted slightly. "How long until class starts?"

"Ten minutes now." Merlin sighed; it would've been really nice to stay in bed. With practiced ease, he tucked his legs and rolled off the bed, landing in a crouch and straightening up. "I'll meet you in class. Don't wait up." Satisfied that her friend was at least awake and out of bed, Flora went to go grab her bag and meet up with Libæna. Merlin turned to his closet and pulled out his school clothes. Half heartedly he changed while he mindlessly caused his books to fly into his bag. He had, after all, resolved to use more of his magic to keep his skills sharp. With that same thought in mind, he grinned as he used his magic to slow down time. Flora said ten minutes until class, but it was up to Merlin how long those ten minutes took. He sauntered down to the kitchens and grabbed some bread to eat while he walked to class. He allowed time to sped up only just before he entered the classroom and slid into his seat just before class began. Libæna looked over, impressed, but class started before she could comment. On the way to Herbology, however, Flora questioned him.

"That was a close call, you were almost late." She eyed him suspiciously. "I was surprised you weren't. I'm assuming you ran straight from your dorm?"

"No, I stopped in the kitchens for some breakfast first," he responded nonchalantly as he twirled his staff in his hand.

"I don't believe you. There is no way you could've come from the dungeons, gone across the castle to the kitchens and then met us up in the tower all in ten minutes." They walked out into the sunlight, blinking in the brightness and pulling their cloaks a little bit tighter around them in the autumn air.

"You would be surprised with how fast I can move sometimes." He winked at her.

"Then how come you were late to Astronomy last Saturday?"

"I wasn't there at all. Remember I went home for the weekend." Now it was his turn to be confused.

"The Saturday before that. You missed Professor Slytherin explaining the origins of the zodiac and how to know which zodiac you are."

"Oh that Saturday. I simply lost track of time." It was true. He had been researching protection spells and hadn't heard the single toll of the bell marking the hour. "And I will need you to tell me what I missed this weekend too."

"You're a mystery, Drugen." Merlin simply grinned as they entered the greenhouse.

"You wouldn't be the first to tell me that."

Thursday evening, Merlin was given a letter with his false name written in beautiful font on the front. Usually messages from home were distributed at breakfast but the messenger must have said it was urgent. Knowing this and recognising Gwen's handwriting, Merlin excused himself from the table and went to read the letter in the privacy of the Room of Requirement. He walked back and forth three times, hardly able to contain his anxiety. The room appeared smaller this time, more homey. There was a large cushioned chair in front of a gentle fire that Merlin walked immediately towards. He sat down and hesitantly opened the letter.

_Dearest Merlin,_

_I wish I did not have to be the bearer of bad news but since I do not trust the knights to deliver the message with much tact, the responsibility falls to me. As you may have guessed, I am writing to you to tell you that Gaius is no longer with us. He passed peacefully last night as I sat by his side. He spent his last moments telling me stories of when you had first arrived at Camelot. The memories made him happy. I could tell that he had been very glad to have seen you before he left this world for good. You always were like a son to him. _

_Because of his services to Camelot, the Feast of Samhain will be dedicated to his honor this year. I would like to, therefore, extend an official invitation to you to join us at the feast. Now that the celebration can also be recognised for its roots in the Old Religion, I believe it would be good to have a representative of the magic community there. But also everyone knows Gaius was very special to you and we would love to have you by our side as we honor him._

_I hope to see you again before long. Stay strong._

_Gwen._

Merlin let the letter fall from his hands and the tears flow freely from his eyes. It would be a while before he could pull himself together to return to his dorm.


	8. Chapter 8: More Than an Illusion

Chapter 8: More than an Illusion

The next morning Merlin walked over to the Hufflepuff table to tell Libæna of Gaius's death. She wrapped him in her arms and held him in silence. The others at the table left them space and Flora joined the silent meal when she awoke. Before class they each reminded him that they would be there for him if they needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. He expressed his gratitude. It was almost as good as having Gwen by his side. Arthur was never good at feelings.

So he robotically survived classes that day and the next. Helga pulled him aside after Herbology and asked if everything was alright. He numbly told her that Gaius had died and walked away.

After classes finished on Friday, he told his friends he needed some space and walked outside. It was the first week of October so not many people were in the mood to leave the warmth of the castle interior. Merlin walked down to the edge of the lake and sat, legs crossed, on the rocks. He idly drew designs in the water with the tip of his finger as he let his mind wander. He did not notice when the water began to sparkle and a face appeared in the water.

"Emrys," the face said and caught his attention.

"Freya?" He asked, hesitant but hoping. She would've been a great comfort to him.

"I'm sorry I am not she, but I was sent by her to comfort you. She does not yet have the power to travel at will."

"Oh." Merlin looked back down at his boots.

"But you are troubled in mind, let us ease your pain." Merlin looked at her in confusion. "Sleep and we shall sooth your mind. You will still be sad, that we cannot control, but we can untangle your thoughts and allow you to continue onward with your long life."

"I would like that," he admitted. "Shall I lay here?"

"Walk but a short distance until the rocks give way to softer grass and there we shall heal you." Merlin walked until he found the place and laid thankfully upon the grass, the fingertips of his hand resting just below the surface of the water. "Sleep well Emrys. You have great deeds yet ahead of you."

The bright morning sun woke Merlin at dawn with a smile. True to their word, the water spirits had given him one of the best nights of sleep he could remember and he was far less consumed by sorrow. The sadness was still there but his mind was free to dwell on other things. Like pranking. That would make him feel better. Though at the time it wasn't funny, he had quite enjoyed the Goblin's practical jokes. Arthur with donkey ears and hearing him bray was one of the best memories he had of Camelot. And it would be a good use of his magic. He rose and walked back toward the castle to start planning. Some pranks he would need to enlist the help of some fellow Slytherins in, but equally as fun would be the ones where no one but he knew. But first things first, he was starving. He skipped dinner in favor of sitting by the lake and now his stomach was protesting loudly. It was always better to plan on a happy stomach anyways. And he also still needed to complete his enchantment of the suits of armour. He should definitely work on that. Especially if he was going to head back to Camelot for Samhain. Although he hadn't made up his mind about that yet; he would have to ask Flora and Libæna if they were staying.

It was a boring day in Runes that started his pranks. He had initially thought runes would be a great class. Not fun per se, but useful. There were numerous times when he needed to ask Gaius to translate the runes on various magical objects or in letters. A couple times when the problem could've been avoided altogether if he had known the meaning. And for the most part it was a good class. He was fueled by motivation and the parts he struggled with were easily remedied with the help of upperclass Slytherins in the common room. Futhark was hard but the Druidic ruins seemed to just click. It was as if he could see the full meaning behind each rune; not immediately, but once he was told the basic meaning, all the others sprang to mind. He assumed it was once again due to the rebirth of his magic in the crystal caves. Ever since then it was like he had unlocked his full potential and the magic came much more easily. He had always felt connected to his magic, but now he was connected with his magic, the Old Religion, and the very earth itself. It had taken a while to get used to and he was still stumbling across new side effects.

One being boredom when Professor Goodfellow was reviewing the Druidic Runes once again before their test on Friday. He meant well, honestly he did, but there are only so many times a student can put up with monotonously repeating back the names of runes and their basic meaning. He wasn't the only one who was bored. And an idle mind is a mischievous mind. So, hands clasped under the desk, Merlin whispered something a little different when the rest of the class recited the meaning of the next rune. When the professor turned his back to write the next character, Merlin opened his hands to release a small blue butterfly. It flew to the front of the room and landed on top of the blackboard without Goodfellow noticing. But the class noticed. As they recited the next rune their attention wasn't quite on the board. Figuring he might as well be helpful while he had fun, he caused a flower to drift lazily down from the ceiling in honor of the rune meaning flower.

"Kenoz. Fire." The class recited the next rune and when the professor turned around, the flame of the candle on his desk grew momentarily before returning to normal size. "Ewaz. Horse." Now a miniature horse silently galloped through the air before poofing back into smoke and disappearing. "Laguz. Lake." The students jumped as they felt their ankles get wet and looked down with a smile to see a small lake had replaced the floor. But once again, as the professor turned around the image was gone. If Professor Goodfellow noticed a sudden interest in the runes as they awaited the next illusion, he didn't show any sign that he had.

For their part, the students were transfixed in wonder, watching the meanings of each rune come to life in unique ways. Merlin was having trouble hiding his grin as much as the rest of them. He had forgotten how fun creating simple illusions could be. It didn't take much energy or skill, just an ample amount of imagination. Plus this was a challenge, a game for him. Come up with an illusion based on the rune the teacher just finished writing on the board. Not a lot of time.

He had cheated and slowed down time once or twice. An image for degaz, day, was not one of those that just sprung to mind. But only once or twice. Class was soon done anyways. The students filled out, chatting excitedly, and the butterfly followed them out. Merlin was glad to see it fly free.

"Who do you think could've been creating those?" Libæna asked.

"I have no clue," Flora sayed, still awed by the flower that had landed on her desk. She tucked it behind her ear. "Drugen? Any theories?"

"It could've been anyone." They looked at him strangely. "I mean they were just illusions. I heard that those aren't too hard. I don't think we learn them until the end of the year but still. Anyone could've read ahead."

"But they weren't all illusions. I can tell you this flower is real," Flora countered.

"And the butterfly. And making the flame on the candle grow was no illusion."

"Two different people?" he suggested.

"That just doesn't make sense." Merlin laughed and held up his hands in surrender.

"Fine. I'm just going to appreciate the beauty. And I know I won't forget the runes before the test."

"Neither will I. I needed the help," Libæna agreed. "I'll see you two at lunch. Have fun with your plants." She turned left as they continued outside with a wave.

"Hey are you and Libæna staying for Samhain?" Merlin asked to keep the conversation away from his previous fun. "I think we are given the choice to take a long weekend and go home before the long winter holidays break."

"Yea, we were thinking about staying. I mean it would be nice to see our families but being at a magical school during a holiday that originated with the Old Religion would be incredible!" She had been successfully distracted. "The decorations alone would be worth it. Are you staying?"

"I think so. I was just home and I wanted to spend the holiday with both of you. It's much more fun without the stuffy old men." Merlin didn't want to know how some of the more traditional lords of Camelot were taking the increasing influence on the magical side of Samhain. He knew for a fact that a few were still fighting to reinstate the ban on magic. Gwen wouldn't back down, he knew that, but if he thought about it too long he sometimes worried.

"That would be so much fun!" She interrupted his thoughts. "We could spend the free time exploring the castle and maybe we could explore the forest."

"I'm not too sure that's a good idea," Merlin cautioned. "Gryffindor did warn us against the dangers of the forest at the start of term."

"What could be more dangerous in there than these deadly plants right here in the greenhouse?" Merlin could think of loads of things, but he was unable to answer as Professor Hufflepuff called out for attention and began class. Flora looked at him smugly and he rolled his eyes. Now he would just have to write Gwen back and hope nothing actually dangerous crossed their path in the forest.

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**A/N: I wanted to thank all of you for following this story and leaving your lovely reviews. It really does motivate me to keep going. Special thanks goes to JXeleven and Auua Ytjoml for being a sounding board on the ending of the story. Thanks to their help, I have a very clear idea on how I would like to bring this to a close. What does that mean for you? Well it means that you will get more chapters. I am eight chapters ahead but I will be posting more now that I know what the end will be. So be on the lookout for more frequent updates and as always, any and all reviews are welcome with open arms.**


	9. Chapter 9: Rumination on the Remarkable

Chapter 9: Rumination on the Remarkable Runemaker

Lunch proved to be the catalyst needed to spread the word of the mysterious magic during Runes to those in the school who hadn't heard yet. Upperclassmen were verifying what Merlin had said earlier: illusions would be taught at the end of their first year, causing suspicion to fall on the Slytherin students and the Ravenclaw students since they were the only likely ones to have read ahead. But that was narrowed down since it was only Slytherins and Hufflepuffs in the class. The older snakes kept their voices low, trying to find out who was responsible so that their initiative could be rewarded. Then Flora reminded them that it wasn't likely to be a first year since there had been more than just simple illusions. She still wore the flower in her hair but passed it around when Anna and her friends wanted proof.

"I would normally say it had just fallen from the ceiling on accident, maybe a breath of wind knocked it down," she said as her friend passed it back to Flora. "But it's almost the end of October and all the flowers would've been dead by now. It had to have been magic."

"Skillful magic as well," Stephen, a fourth year added. "Aside from the professors I don't know anyone who could do that. I don't think that's even in the curriculum until next year. I guess I'll let you know then."

"It would be more useful if we knew now though." Lisa sighed. "Whoever it is, I could use their help in class." The others laughed.

"You said you thought the professors could probably do this," Merlin pitched his voice to sound unsure. "What if it was the professor? We didn't even consider that." Anna stopped chewing for a moment and thought.

"You might be right."

"Don't talk with food in your mouth," Laura scolded as she slapped her friend on the arm. Anna scowled and slapped her back but finished chewing before she continued.

"Aside from the butterfly, all of the other illusions, and occasional real magics, related to the next rune. Right?" Merlin and Flora nodded. "And you said that they happened as soon as the class finished saying the name and meaning." They nodded once more. "That's not a lot of time to think of an illusion. What if Professor Goodfellow was making them?"

"What?" Flora asked.

"Not following the logic." Stephen rested his chin on his hands.

"Well Goodfellow could probably tell that people don't find his class as interesting. Maybe over the summer he has been thinking of ways to make it more interesting. When he sees the class bored, he decides to try and make it more memorable by creating these illusions. And the flower and the fire and the butterfly," she added hurriedly. "I got it." Flora closed her mouth with an apologetic look. "So obviously he would've had time to think about which illusion he would make for each rune ahead of time. He made them while his back was turned so that you wouldn't see his eyes glow. After all it seems more fun when it's a mystery who is creating them." That got nods from all around. "You may be wondering what the butterfly had to do with it. I think that and the fire and the flower were all real to make sure he caught everyone's attention." They pondered this theory for a moment. Merlin was impressed with the argument considering it was all wrong.

"But we would've heard him doing a spell for each one." Flora naturally found a fault. "And he would've needed to use his wand."

"I believe I can solve that loophole." Stephen sat up proudly. "First off, he was using his wand to write the runes on the board. These are Druidic runes so he could've linked the magic with the writing of the rune. Secondly, you were undoubtedly too distracted to have noticed him muttering when he was facing away from you. But if that isn't enough, there are those who can do magic without a conduit for their powers. Some of the Druid kids can do some magic without their staffs I know. And the stories say that the great Merlin doesn't need anything. He just thinks and the magic does his bidding. I don't think Professor Goodfellow is that powerful but he might be able to manage a few illusions without an incantation." Merlin just smiled. If only they knew who he really was. Regardless, it was really fun to listen to the whole school talking about the magic he had done. It left a warm feeling inside of him It wasn't pride exactly, okay, it was pride. But no one knew it was him so that had to count for something didn't it? And it would help others to learn the runes so it was a good deed all around. But if he was being honest, he just liked the feeling of being the cause of everyone's conversation without them knowing. Lunch was drawing to a close with no one any wiser about who really made the illusions and Merlin knew he would not be paying attention that day in Counterspells and Potions.

One of the invaluable skills Merlin had learned in Camelot was the ability to keep lists in his head. Whether a list of plants he needed to collect for Gaius or the never ending list of chores for Arthur, he became very good at balancing multiple lists and committing them to memory. It would spoil the fun if anyone found a written list of prank ideas and spells for them in his handwriting. So while Professor Gryffindor walked around the class, giving people suggestions to improve their black fire potion, Merlin brainstormed various widespread pranks that no one would think him capable of.

"Drugen! Did you hear a word I said?" Gryffindor asked impatiently.

"Sorry, Sire," Merlin responded automatically. Godric raised his eyebrows slightly but continued.

"I said your potion looks perfect. You can bottle it up and set it in your slot on my desk."

"Thank you Professor." Merlin did as he said and cleared out the rest of the cauldron with two taps of his staff on the side. Class was nearly over anyways so he just walked slowly to put his things in his room. Professor Slytherin had said that today's class would be a practical in woodcraft so they would not need to bring anything to class. Mind still whirring away, he walked outside and lay on his back, staring up at the clouds and waited for the rest of the class to arrive. Professor Slytherin was the first to arrive. He shook his head at the small boy stretched out with his cloak for a blanket in the chill October air.

"I hope you have at least learned a self-heating charm by now to keep yourself warm." Merlin tilted his head back to look at him.

"No." He sat up. "Do you know one?"

"Not one that works well," he admitted. "I had only figured you would probably know one. You must have spent many cold nights outside with the knights."

"That's why I built a fire. Keeps everyone warm and you don't look suspicious. I'm not like Percival; people would notice if I took my sleeves off."

The rest of the class walked out the the grounds to find Professor Slytherin and Drugen laughing, the latter still sitting cross-legged on the grass. When they noticed the weird looks, they stopped and turned away from each other so that they wouldn't start laughing again.

"Feel free to join your classmate on the grass or remain standing," he addressed the other students. "As soon as the stragglers arrive I'll give you your task and you can get started." The task was to bring back an elm leaf and some henbane. It wasn't meant to be difficult, just a short practical that was more useful than identifying the plants on a page in a book. Also henbane was a plant that was useful in curing common colds that students tended to get in the winter. Being the last class of the day, everyone took off running into the forest as soon as the assignment was given. The students had been exploring small parts of the forest as part of class and many were furiously trying to remember where they had seen the herb. Others were remembering something of the teaching and were looking for signs of water which would lead them to where the plant usually grew.

Merlin ran faster than all of them and launched himself down into his secret hideout to do some research while the rest of the class looked. He ran his fingers over the spines of his small library scanning for the book that would help him with his next prank. Finally he found the one. He remembered the book but he just couldn't recall the wording of the spell. It was the one he had used to duplicate the crest he had made for Lancelot into Geoffrey's book. He sat back down at the small table and began flipping through. Then he found it. _Ic us bisen hræd tán hwanon. _This time he read the additional commentary on the spell. How to properly set the template for the duplication, how to apply the pattern of the original to an existing object of the same type, and how to set the duration of the spell. It would take some extra words and some additional charms but he may be able to pull this off.

_Merlin? _He heard Salazar's voice in his head. _Where are you? Class is almost over and I know you know where to find both of these plants. I expected you to be the first one back._

_I got distracted. _He could almost hear Salazar about to ask what had distracted him. _Thanks for the reminder. I'll be right there. _Merlin responded and cut the connection. Salazar was right; he did know where he could find the henbane plant but why bother looking when he had some on his shelf. With a grin he put the book back and grabbed a few leaves of the herb. He peaked out of the entrance to his little room, making sure no one was around, before climbing all the way up. He had a pretty good idea of where the few elm trees in the forest were but he used his inner eye to scan the forest between him and the field. Finding one directly in his path he took off at a run. He only stumbled a few times but he didn't even need to think about it as he reached out and plucked a leaf as he ran past the elm. He slowed to a jog as he neared the edge of the forest and returned to Salazar. Handing over the leaves he grinned at him as the bells rang out.

"This has been a most informative class period. Thank you, Professor." Salazar gave him a suspicious look but Merlin said nothing further as he jogged back up the hill to the castle. He knew that Salazar would notice the henbane was not freshly picked and he didn't want to explain himself. That night, after the school had gone to sleep, Merlin snuck out of the dorm and placed a blanket charm over the entrance to the other three common rooms and returned to his room with a soft smile.

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**A/N: What? Two updates in less than 24 hours? Well I got some great writing done so I am rewarding you. Enjoy.**


	10. Chapter 10: Setting Things in Motion

Chapter 10: Setting Things in Motion

On the morning of October 19th, a visitor to Hogwarts would've noticed particularly weird behaviour from three-quarters of its students. The height of this peculiarity could be seen at the entrances to the common rooms. Students were seen walking out like any other morning, but then after a few steps, stopping to inspect their cloaks with horror. To the casual passerby, it would seem unnatural that nearly all of them promptly turned around and stormed back to their rooms. Looking a bit more carefully, this same passerby would notice that the colour of the students's cloaks changed upon crossing the threshold. Inside the common room, each student had either a red, blue, green, or golden cloak depending on their house. But once they set foot outside the common rooms, everyone was wearing a Slytherin cloak. This had no effect on those already wearing Slytherin cloaks so for a while it was only Slytherins in the Great Hall for breakfast. Many of them were too groggy to notice the absence of the others, but it was soon brought to everyone's attention. Some of the later arrivals laughed and cryptically said that the rest of the school was suffering a self-proclaimed clothing crisis. It wasn't long before they found out what that meant.

They watched as a few Gryffindors stomped to their table not wearing a cloak and sat glaring at the Slytherin table. The cloaks weren't mandatory to wear but it was basically the school uniform so seeing a group of students without cloaks was rare. But the snakes did not yet understand why they were getting such looks of hatred.

Then the rest of the students entered. It was clear that the heads of houses had ushered them along, saying they would work it out later. And so in filed the rest of the school, who had all seemingly decided to be Slytherins for the day. There was silence at first but soon the Slytherin table was in an uproar. Most couldn't eat they were laughing so hard. The laughter was contagious, Merlin joined in and even Salazar couldn't help himself. The other founders were glaring at him like their students but he held up his hands.

"Not me, I swear. I have no idea who did this." Although he had a slight inkling. _Merlin? Was this your doing?_

_Now why on earth would you think that? A humble first year such as myself couldn't pull this off. _He up at the high table with a wide grin. _Although I can assure you the prankster told me the spell will wear off overnight. _Salazar just shook his head and grinned. He was beginning to see why Merlin was in his house.

Luckily today was not a day that Libæna was in class with Drugen or Flora. Though she was normally friendly, out of solidarity with her house, and for that matter the rest of the school, she refused to speak with them. Only the Ravenclaws spoke with their Slytherin friends that day, and only for prearranged study sessions. They weren't happy about the colour change but schoolwork was more important still. As happened the day before, everyone was trying to figure out who had pulled off this magnificent prank. One of the upperclassmen classes had asked Professor Slytherin, but he said much the same.

"I don't know who did this but it was a masterful prank. No one is an any danger, just good fun, and an undeniably Slytherin mark. The three things that make a perfect prank." When Merlin heard those words repeated later he knew Salazar was sending a message to him. But many of the other Slytherins took this as a challenge. After dinner, a bulletin was posted in the common room. It read: SLYTHERIN PRANKING CLUB, first meeting tonight at 8 o'clock in the common room, all ages.

"Are you going to go?" Merlin asked Flora.

"Of course! It will be so much fun," she said as they walked to the library to work on their Astronomy essays. "Plus, I still think the same person who was making the illusions in Runes is the same person who turned everyone's cloaks green. And maybe that person will be at the meeting. Don't you want to know who did it?"

"I don't know. I am content just enjoying their work." She shook her head.

"Whatever. Let's just work on these essays so we can have them done before this meeting."

"I call this first meeting of the official Slytherin pranking club to order at five past eight on the night of October 19th." Stephen and Willow, both fourth year students, were leading the meeting while the other students sprawled on the furniture or lay on the floor. "The prank today inspired us to create this club to continue further occurrences of this type of perfect prank, as our fearless head of house said. While this prank today was some high-level magic, we are confident that together we can achieve many more pranks that even some of our first-years could help us with. Furthermore, we are aware that the person, or persons, responsible for today's joke is probably among us but we will respect their wishes to remain unknown. All we ask is for your help in further fun." A spattering of applause started as was picked up by the others before Willow raised her hand for silence.

"So to start things off we wanted to set some goals and basic rules for any pranks we come up with." She tapped her oaken staff on the large scroll they had previously attached to the wall behind them. "So far we have 'does not directly put anyone in danger, does not hinder the ability to learn in class, and easy to undo quickly if unforeseen circumstances arrive.' Does anyone have anything else?"

"Professor Slytherin had said he enjoyed this prank because it was clearly done by a snake, should we add that?"

"That's nice sometimes but I don't think it should be a requirement; sometimes you might want to have the whole school guessing."

"Both good points. I'll put that up here as an added bonus."

"Maybe they should only last a day at most. Much longer and it's not as funny."

"Also good."

"No prank should be used to make fun of anyone."

"Yes. These are meant for good laughs, not for bullying." She added that to the list as well. "Anything else?" No one spoke.

"Okay then, now the fun part." Stephen walked over to the other bit of parchment on the wall. "Prank ideas." Several hands flew into the air, others just yelled out their ideas. "Hold it, I can't hear when you are all talking over one another. Anna, you have nicely raised your hand. What is your idea?"

"Could we magically change the hair color of other students? Crazy colors like pink or orange?"

"Good. I like that." He put that on the list. "Izzy?"

"What if we enchanted a bunch of quills to tickle whoever tried to write with them and swapped them out with the normal classroom sets?"

"But one if one of us ends up with a tickling quill?" Lisa asked.

"We can tell all the Slytherins the counterspell before we plant them"

"Nicely planned already. But that might disrupt the learning in class so I'm not sure." There was a brief period of silence before Merlin raised his hand. "Yes Drugen?"

"Could we make it so that the enchantment only starts at a certain time? Once classes are through? Maybe we would want to put the quills in the library instead."

"Good thinking. Okay, tickling quills is on the list." The brainstorming continued for a few more hours before they called it a night and cast a cloaking charm over the parchment.

With two weeks until holiday break, the pranks were spaced out accordingly. The plan was as follows: Saturday was crazy hair day; anyone who had washed their hands in the lady's restroom on the second floor was sporting a lovely shade of pink that day. On Monday the enchanted tickling quills were planted in the library and the giggles could be heard echoing around the halls up until midnight. The few druids in the school teamed up on Tuesday to hide behind tapestries and spook people by speaking into their minds. Nothing crazy, just holding a conversation and convincing them that they were arguing with their conscious. The snarky comments almost spoiled that one though. Then a break day to evaluate the success of the previous pranks. Two days before the holidays began, each person in the club picked another student's name out of a hat at random and placed a simple charm on them at lunch.

They delivered this charm by way of an charmed letter. The letter was unsuspicious, a nice little note of good cheer. Some read, "have a nice day," "you are brilliant," "be confident in yourself," or "your smile lights up the world." But, having read these letters, they now experienced the occasional sensation of being tapped politely on the shoulder. Yet of course, upon turning about, they saw no one. Or they saw their friends who denied the tap. This lead to a slight bit of paranoia for those unfortunate souls; a bit more than the pranking club had predicted. They made sure to undo that one only an hour after dinner rather than letting it continue till midnight like the others.

Though Merlin was enjoying these fun pranks, helping behind the scenes to make them more successful, he had one more master prank up his sleeve. One that would not wear off at midnight. But first he had to make sure to enchant the suits of armour. Really he should've done it long ago but he got distracted. School work, pranking, laziness, okay he forgot. However, Samhain was a time when magic was particularly strong. Which could be a good time for the members of the Old Religion to attack the school so he needed to finish his protection. Hopefully they wouldn't but if Morgana and Morgause were anything to go by, you never knew what was going on in their heads.

That night, Merlin cast a sleeping charm on his dorm mates to make sure they wouldn't notice his absence, and snuck out to the Room of Requirement. He looked over the final spell on last time and set out on his mission. He had a basic map of the castle in his pocket with a mark where every suit of armour was. Fifty-three in all. He walked to the closest statue and put both hands on its shoulders.

"Ego præcipio tibi, et defendere vitam meam, ad arcem omnis habitator. Cum in eis sunt. Nec quieuere antequam praeterit aut periculum in causa excideris." Merlin's eyes blazed gold and he felt a little bit of life come into the statue. It startled him and he jumped back. The suit of armour saluted him with his sword and resumed its previous position. Satisfied that it seemed to have worked, he crossed that particular statue off the map and proceeded to the next one.

He had made it through just over half of the suits of armour when he heard a voice coming from a few floors up. He turned around to see Professor Hemlock pointing down at him.

"All students are suppose to be in bed!" She shouted. "What do you think you are doing, sneaking about?" She started to storm down the stairs. "You best not be pulling any pranks. I've had enough of those ridiculous gags."

"Well you will only have to deal with one more," Merlin muttered. He threw his hands out in front of him, and without saying a word, pushed the staircase that Professor Hemlock was standing on. The sudden movement caused her to cry out in surprise and grip the handrails. The staircase swung gently to connect to an adjacent landing, pausing, and swinging back to its original position. Before it returned completely, Merlin flipped up his hood and darted up a different staircase. Also now causing this one to glide to a new landing. He hopped off and took off running toward his next target, leaving Hemlock shocked as the two staircases continued to glide back and forth between their two landings. He wasn't planning on initiating this prank until Monday night when his magic would be strongest, but he supposed now was as good a time as any.

Merlin continued through the rest of the night, charming the armour and setting advantageous staircases into perpetual back and forth motion. The whole school would be thrown off tomorrow, but it wouldn't be long before they realized it was for the better. It was way easier to walk across the center space rather than having to stick to the perimeter.

Finally, at almost four in the morning, Merlin collapsed back in his bed. The staircases were crazy but all fifty-three suits of armour would be ready to defend Hogwarts at a moment's notice. He would tell the founders the spell to activate them in the morning just so that someone else would know, but he might just happen to forget to mention what it does. No use ruining the surprise. With that thought, he was fast asleep.

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The long spell = I command you to come to life and defend every resident of this castle at my call. Defend them with your being. Do not rest until the danger has passed or you have fallen in your cause.

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**A/N: Thanks to Emmie Fine faerygirl and some of my IRL friends for prank ideas.**

**Shameless self plug here: If you enjoy my writing and would like to read more, I nearly done posting my NaNoWriMo story from this year on my FictionPress page (link in profile and I use the same name) and I would really appreciate constructive criticism. The story is called The Fate of Our World. However, if you are just here for the Merlin fun then don't feel any pressure; I love you all just the same.  
**


	11. Chapter 11: A Celebration Turned Sour

Chapter 11: A Celebration Turned Sour

In the morning, rather than heading directly to the Great Hall as he normally did, Merlin sat in the shadows of a large statue with a good view of the grand staircase. It looked perfect somehow, moving constantly, a dance of sorts. This opinion was not shared by the other students though. A few just stopped in the archways and stared at the staircases before turning to find an alternate way to the Great Hall. Some of the more tired ones didn't notice anything different until the staircase they stepped onto started moving. Then they woke up. One student nearly walked off into thin air, but thankfully Merlin was observant and threw up a quick air barrier to keep him on the landing. He realized that since the change was still new, a few safety measures should be in place. He wove together a barrier of air at each level so that if someone were to fall, the student would only fall to the next level down and then roll to the sides where they could climb back onto a stationary set of stairs and try again.

With this in place, he relaxed again and continued watching. Many of the more nimble students hardly paid it any notice, more daring kids were already trying to jump over the gap as the stairs left the landing just before they made it to the bottom. Laughter won out over the frightened looks and people began chasing each other, up and down, getting the hang of the moving staircases as they did so. He saw Flora come up from the basement and smile as she took off running for the stairs. She was one of the risky jumpers who could not be patient enough to wait until the staircase stopped moving to jump on the the landing. Figuring this was his cue to follow her to breakfast, he lept onto the staircases as well and followed close behind her. He jogged to catch up with her in the hallways. She turned at the sound of his footfalls.

"Drugen? Did I actually wake up before you this morning?" she teased. "I'm surprised you aren't already in the Great Hall."

"How could I be sitting there alone eating when I could be watching people on the staircase?" he said with a goofy grin.

"I know! It's great. I hope it stays like this."

"Oh I think it will."

"You don't know who did this, do you?" She eyed him as they sat down to eat.

"No, but I would imagine the more advanced the magic, the harder it is to undo. And making the staircases move perpetually back and forth seems pretty difficult to me."

"Whoever did it, I think it's brilliant," Lisa added as she sat down on the other side of Merlin. "Some of the movements actually will make it faster to get to class."

"And with enough practice, you could jump down flights of stairs by timing your jump to land on a crossing stair a few floors below." Stephen cut in excitedly as they slid onto the bench.

"I don't know. You might want to wait a little before you start trying that," Merlin cautioned. He knew his barriers would get in the way of that plan right now.

"Drugen, I didn't know you could be such a worry-wart," Flora said.

"I'm not, it's just what if the patterns of the movements change?" He was relying on his skill at making up stuff again. "I mean you have only seen them in motion for an hour at most. What if they change daily? Or every few hours? You wouldn't want to jump when they suddenly change patterns. It would be wiser to observe them for a while before trying anything too risky." The others were silent. Merlin gave them the same look he gave the knights when they had decided on a quest that would clearly get them into trouble.

"Sometimes I forget you are one of the older first-years Drugen. Then you say something like that." Lisa just shook her head. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Oh that's right, you are the same age as Stephen," Anna exclaimed and then looked at Stephen. "Now why couldn't you be that smart? It's a good thing Drugen has a good head on his shoulders unlike some others at this table." Out of the corner of his eye, Merlin noticed the professors arriving for breakfast. He knew that they would know it was him.

"Thanks Anna. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get my stuff together for class. I'll see you at lunch." Walking at an even pace, he left the hall, blending in with the other students. But upon leaving he broke into a run to get out of the range of Salazar's mind speaking capabilities. He would have to think of a good excuse soon so they wouldn't try to undo his spell, but first he had a Runes test to cram for.

After Herbs and Healing, Professor Hufflepuff called for him to stay back. Merlin told Flora not to wait for him and hung back, trying to look innocent.

"You can drop the act, we know it was you who did this," she began without any preamble. Merlin widened his eyes and put a finger to his lips.

"I don't know what you mean Professor," he replied evenly as he mumbled a few words to throw up a quick sound barrier. He lowered his finger and glared at her. "You know the greenhouses aren't really the best place for secretive conversations, Helga."

"What did you just do?" she asked.

"I enclosed our conversation in a bubble of silence. Those outside it won't be able to hear anything we say now." She looked impressed.

"But it was you who started the stairs moving." She persisted in her original accusation.

"Who else do you know who could've done it? None of the other students. Maybe one of the druids if they were angry or frightened enough but they would be more likely to destroy the staircases in that outpouring of power than set them into perpetual motion."

"So they won't return to normal by midnight like all the other pranks, will they?" He shook his head, a neutral expression on his face. "Is this another part of your protection plan for the school?" Merlin paused before answering. He had come up with a number of possible excuses but that hadn't been one of them. However, the opportunity presented itself so he ran with it.

"Yea. I didn't want to tell you in case I couldn't get it to work."

"But I'm not sure I understand how it works."

"People always say it is best to fight an enemy on your own terms. In a place you pick, on a field you know best. It gives you an advantage because you know the land. You know all the nooks and crannies, which tunnels are a dead end, where every little rabbit hole in the ground is. But the opposing force does not. You can trap them in the tunnels, lose them in a forest, the very earth they run upon with be their enemy. This is the same concept. The staircases move. It's strange at first, but anyone who lives in the castle will become used to them. They will become used to the pattern, it will become second nature to know which ones move when and to where. Some of the older students are already noticing easier ways to get around or planning on trying to jump down a few levels on to the lower stairs as they move across. Now if an enemy force storms the school, they won't have this knowledge ingrained in them. There are some safety nets in place now while the stairs are still new, but when those are gone, someone who does not know the pattern will run right off a landing and plummet to their death." He looked up with a wry smile and saw horror on her face. "Sure it sounds horrible now, but if the students are in danger you will be thinking much differently." She blinked a couple times.

"I suppose you are right. I'll tell the other professors. But what do we tell the students?"

"A condensed version of what I told you. You are testing a new form of defense in the castle. The stairs will stay like this and you hope it makes Hogwarts a more fun environment as well as a safer one.

"You are a genius, Merlin."

"Glad someone thinks so," he muttered.

"One last thing. What do we tell Aria and Geoffrey? They will wonder why we didn't tell them. And I wouldn't blame them if they questioned how we did it."

"Just tell them an old friend helped you out." Merlin winked and waved his hand to dismiss the bubble of silence as he walked out.

The feast was dying down when Godric Gryffindor stood up at the head table and waited for the chatter to die down. When he had the attention of everyone in the room he began to speak.

"Before most of you leave for Samhain, there are some closing remarks I would like to deliver on behalf of myself and the rest of the teaching staff. Firstly, you have all undoubtedly noticed the change to the staircases; it would take considerable skill not to notice." This got some laughter from the students. "This is part of a new protection plan we have been working on. We don't want to worry you unnecessarily, after all your primary focus is learning, but we strive to be as prepared as possible. The staircases will remain this way and we hope that you enjoy the added benefits but urge you to not try anything too risky, too soon. This has never been done before so even we are not sure if it will stay exactly the same forever. Probably, but sometimes it is best to exercise a little caution." He looked pointedly at his own table and many of the Gryffindors looked down at their empty plate. "There is a difference between being brave and charging needlessly into danger." He returned his attention to the whole room. "Furthermore, we will once again warn you to be cautious with your magic during this holiday. Many of you are aware that there is still some fear of magic in the rest of England. There is no need for you to use magic if it is not necessary. Especially since this is Samhain and magic will be at its strongest. Remember to keep a check on it lest the magic of the world takes over you. We don't want any of our students turning into trees. And on that note, enjoy your break!"

Around thirty students were still left to celebrate Samhain at Hogwarts. Godric and Salazar had also gone back to their family estates to spend the weekend before returning for the actual holiday. This of course meant that the decorating fell to the ladies. Not that they minded. They put up an announcement welcoming all students to help since there was not much else to do. Most of the students came and it was very busy. There were flowers to arrange, garlands to hang, new candles to replace. It was all a busy chaos. Rowena called Merlin over. He hurried over with an armful of old candles to remove from the hall.

"Yes?"

"I wanted to speak with you. In private," she hinted, tapping her head. He nodded.

"I'll go put these in storage," he said with a wink. _What is it?_

_Helga and I were worried that the members of the Old Religion might try again. Very soon. We know Samhain would increase their powers but also if they had spies then they would know that Godric and Salazar have left. We are weaker now than we will be on Monday._

_You will not have to worry, _he reassured her as he set the candles in a box one of the servants was carrying. _The protections will hold. I will tell you the activation charm of one additional level of defense though. I will write it down for you later though. Even words exchanged through mind have power this close to Samhain. Furthermore, you still have me to protect you. _They looked directly at each other. _I promise. You will be safe._

_I know. _She returned her attention to levitating the strings of flowers. _But if we were to be attacked, whether now or later, I wish the students had a better chance of fighting for themselves. I know we teach Counterspells, but sometimes I worry that it is not enough._

_You want me to teach a class on battle magics. I have to admit I had been also thinking of that. It will be difficult to work out all the details, but I'd like to talk with you all over winter break about it._

_Thank you again Merlin. I don't know what we would do without you._

_You did well without me before and you will do brilliantly when I leave. As long as Hogwarts has the four of you, the school will prosper._

The Great Hall, nay, the entire castle looked spectacular by the time Monday came along. No one wanted to do schoolwork and decorating was a tried and true method of procrastination. The more artsy students had even made their own decorations and Merlin enchanted all the torches to burn with a soft blue light to give Hogwarts an especially eerie feel. The plan for Monday was an optional offering service to the Triple Goddess on the shores of the lake at noon. A brief meeting with the first years to warn them of the dangers of Samhain. Then no plans until a great feast and continued celebrations all through the night. It would be spectacular fun. All the first years were brimming over with excitement while the other students said nothing safe that it would be the most amazing celebration they had ever been a part of.

The feast was lovely as usual. Due to the smaller number of students, they had actually pushed two of the tables together to create a more inclusive feel. The professors even joined them at the table and mingled with the rest of them. Since school wasn't officially in session, most students had left their typical uniform behind in favor of more colorful clothing and many of the girls wore flowers in their hair. No one sat according to houses and there was lots of laughter. Godric was entertaining a group of students with stories of his and Salazar's adventures when they were younger while the latter looked embarrassed. Helga was talking with Flora and a couple others about possible cures to different ills using plants. Merlin occasionally chipped in with a bit of knowledge he had picked up from Gaius and eventually got sucked into their conversation on the healing arts. Rowena and Geoffrey were debating the practical uses for runes, namely, were they actually useful at all. Professor Hemlock had elected to stay home for the entire weekend so she wasn't in attendance, but that just allowed for some students to complain to each other about how useless History of Magic was.

An hour before midnight, the tables were pushed to the side of the hall and were stocked with light snacks and more drinks. The charmed instruments at the front of the hall levitated and began playing music while the socializing continued. The servants were also invited to join in the festivities without worrying about refilling the drinks or clearing away the plates. Merlin could understand their looks of disbelief but Rowena told them after the celebration they would receive plenty of help. So they too relaxed and grabbed a glass of wine.

At quarter till, dancing had broken out and everyone was chatting amicably. The music continued and the feeling of magic in the air, nearly imperceptible to all but Merlin, continued to grow as midnight grew nearer.

At one minute till, they began a countdown. The music died out, the dancing ceased. With glasses in their hands, they watched the clock on the mantle tick the seconds by as they counted.

When the clock hand reached twelve and the soft bells inside chimed, everyone cheered and held up their glasses in a great toast.

When the clock hand reached twelve and the soft bells inside chimed, a visitor appeared in the hall.

All eyes fell on the mysterious girl who stood tall near the entrance to the hall. The servants couldn't see anything, but they had served in Hogwarts long enough to know the feeling of magic and understand that something was going on that caused everyone else to look this way.

"Who are you?" Godric asked, his free hand falling to where his sword would've rested out of deep ingrained habit. The students stepped back as he stepped forward.

"I mean you no harm." She briefly shut her eyes and nodded the tiniest of bows towards the founders who had clumped together. "I have come only to deliver a message, a warning."

"Very well. We shall hear it."

"Our future's hope is born in you, but only if the day proves true. Five must stand and be as one, only then can the battle be won. When Perseus finishes his trek across the sky, that is how you you will know your time is nigh. Camelot's lost knight is no mere lore, and now I will trouble you all no more." Shock sweeps through the hall. The girl turns and meets Merlin's eyes, glistening in the crowd. _I love you and I miss you, Merlin. I promise I will find my way to your lake._ But before Merlin could respond she vanished. From the looks of relief, the servants could tell that whatever the magic was, it had passed now. They moved on much faster than those who had heard the lady's warning. The students began moving again as well, murmuring to each other, wondering if that was a prophecy and who on earth was that girl anyways.

**A/N: I am spoiling you guys again since I am in the observatory tonight and just waiting on images so there is a lot of sitting around. Extra long chapter for you. Enjoy.**


	12. Chapter 12: Warnings and Rumours

Chapter 12: Warnings and Rumours

Flora and Libæna turned to Merlin and were shocked to see a sad looking smile on his face. His eyes were moist, like he was trying to hold back tears.

"Drugen?" Libæna laid a hand on his shoulder and he started. "Are you alright?" He instinctively schooled his features before remembering who was with him and he lowered his mask a little.

"Yes," he said in a voice that caused Libæna to raise her eyebrows. He cleared his throat "Okay, mostly fine. She reminds me of someone I know. Someone I care for a lot." He glanced back and saw the founders whispering together. He knew they would want to talk with him soon so he used a partial lie to escape the Great Hall. "I think I need some air. I'll be back."

"Okay, just don't stay away from the celebrations too long Drugen," Flora warned him as he set down his glass and slipped from the room. He didn't go far, just a quick turn to the right and he sat on one of the benches in the corridor. He leaned his head back against the wall and hugged his legs to his chest. He had forgotten how much he had missed her, and how long it had been since he saw her. For years after Arthur's death he could not bring himself to go near her lake. Just being close to the place where he had lost his king, his friend, hurt too much. When he finally did return, she could only stay for a brief time and she warned her that her powers were not strong enough to visit him often. She told him that she was training every day to become powerful enough to comfort him and be with him.

"Drugen?" Merlin opened his eyes to see the founders standing in the hall.

"We need to talk," Merlin said as he swung his feet down, brushed his sad thoughts away, and lead the way to Helga's office where he knew they were heading. The others followed behind; they were going to talk with him soon anyways. "Are the celebrations still going?" he asked as they walked.

"Yes, though we expect the students will mainly be talking about what just happened," Rowena answered. Merlin gave a silent snort of laughter. Some things don't change, no matter where you are. Merlin slowed his pace to allow Helga to open the door to her office. With a flick of her wand, she called five chairs to gather in the center of the room and with another charm she lit the fire. They each sat, Merlin dropping his disguise as he did so.

"Just when I was beginning to get used to seeing you all small and innocent," Salazar joked, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work.

"So what was that?" Rowena asked. The worry was evident on her face now that they were behind closed doors. "A prophecy?"

"A warning." Their eyes snapped to Merlin.

"For who?" Godric asked.

"For me. Although it does apply to all of you as well."

"How can you be so sure it is for you?" Godric asked.

"You know her don't you?" Helga, ever the astute one, realized that was why he had disappeared from the hall right afterwards.

"Yes. She is the Lady of the Lake. She guards one of the entrances to Avalon. Though I know her better as Freya. In her duties she is often given messages to deliver since it is not as hard for her to cross the boundaries between worlds. Presumably she was only able to come so far from her lake because it is Samhain."

"Alright so it's definitely a warning. But what does it mean?" Godric asked. "She couldn't have just told us without the rhyming nonsense?" Merlin laughed.

"Any message delivered by anyone on behalf of the Old Religion is that way. " Certainly his dealings with Kilgharrah and druid elders gave strong indicators that it was the case.

"This one is a warning rather than a prophecy so it should be easier to decipher." Rowena looked around the room. "Where do you keep your parchment, dear?" Helga stood and grabbed a sheet from a drawer while Rowena pulled a small writing table over. "Let's start by writing down the original warning and then I can add what we think it means on the side." While the rhyming was annoying, it made it much easier to remember the exact words and they had it written in no time.

"Our future's hope is born in you," Godric read. "My guess would be that Hogwarts is the future's hope, to keep the education of magic alive for years to come. And since we are its founders, it is born in us." The others nodded in agreement. "But only if the day proves true."

"We must pass a test of sorts and be able to stay strong," Rowena interrupted.

"Five must stand as be as one. Well that is certainly the five of us." Helga gestured around the room. "And only if we work together can the battle be won."

"Then the next line tells us when," Salazar chimed in. "Perseus is a winter constellation so anytime after the first of Spring is when the attack will come."

"Camelot's lost knight is no mere lore," Rowena read. "Would that refer to you, Merlin?"

"Yes. That's a new name for me though."

"But you aren't a knight. And you aren't really lost." Godric voiced the confusion the others held.

"In a way I am lost to Camelot," Merlin explained. "I haven't officially been back since the Battle at Camlaan. The only bodies not eventually found were Arthur's and my own. While the round table knows what happened, the larger population does not. As for the knight part, what is a knight of Camelot other than her protector? I may not be any good with a blade but I have protected the city and it's people the way I know best. Not to mention the knights viewed me as one of them. I only hope that the direct mention will not mean I have to reveal myself to everyone."

"I hope, for your sake, you will not have to either." Helga patted his shoulder and he smiled at her and they sat in comfortable silence for a moment.

"Oh. Rowena said that you were also thinking that maybe I could teach the students some battle magic, especially since now we know that there will be a battle." They nodded. Rowena had told the rest of them that he had readily agreed. "Let's go enjoy the rest of the celebration and I'll meet you afterwards to discuss that. I've had a few ideas."

Samhain celebrations finished and the rest of the students returned the next day. Nothing eventful happened between then and the holiday break. A few pranks here and there but everyone was focused on studying for their midterms. Study groups were pulling all-nighters and the week leading up to the exams the serving staff left out snacks in the great hall for students needing some food at five in the morning. Merlin continued discussing some plans for the class he would be teaching after the break and how to keep his disguise. But even he had to study hard. So when the holidays finally arrived and he hiked back to his house in the Valley, he collapsed on his bed utterly exhausted.

When he finally awoke, around mid-morning, he was already missing Hogwarts. Mostly the food, but he did miss the energy of having other people nearby. But he had kept his stores stocked in case he needed to come back urgently so he had some food to eat before he would have to go to the market. In the meantime, he had lessons to plan.

Merlin came back to Hogwarts in secret a few days before the other students to finalize his plans with the founders. And to eat the better food. They posted announcements of Merlin's elective course that would be offered twice a week. "A Practical Course in Battle Magic" it read. "To be taught by Dragoon the Great every Tuesday and Thursday following dinner. Open to all students." Merlin wondered what Gaius would think of him using the same disguise again. It had served him well in the past and it would serve him well again. Although this time he wasn't aiming for eighty years old, sixty would suffice. Still older but hopefully less of the pain in his bones. It would already be a rough transition from his current fourteen-year old self.

The only thing Merlin forgot to consider was how much influence Camelot still had. Many of the stories from his time in the city had already been spread. And here at Hogwarts, the tales concerning magic were some of the children's favourites. And one of the characters in those stories had been Dragoon.

"I heard he called Uther a toad and an arrogant fool!" Not quite his exact words, but Merlin smiled at the memory.

"I heard he made King Arthur give him a piggy-back ride!" This was followed by shocked laughter. Merlin didn't think anyone had seen them at the time, but he knew better than to underestimate the servants of Camelot.

"I heard he turned King Arthur into a donkey when he was still a prince!" Indirectly he supposed he caused the partial transformation.

"My favourite is the story of when he enchanted all the cabbage to talk and it scared the kitchen staff!" Wait what? Merlin stole a glance over his shoulder as he walked through the corridors listening to the snatches of the stories students had heard. That had never happened. Nothing remotely close even. He shook his head and dismissed it as a tale made up by a mother to get her child to eat their vegetables in some strange way. At least the tales never included who Dragoon really was. He figured that those who had seen him at the battle knew the connection and he mentally thanked them for not making the connection in public. He still felt slightly awkward when he heard stories or songs of the adventures of the Round Table. And the druids weren't helping as they continued to teach every one of Emrys and the Once and Future King bringing about the restoration of magic. It would be a disaster once the rest of the world realized that Emrys, Merlin, and Dragoon were all the same person.

"Quite popular, this new teacher of ours, eh?" Salazar was now at Merlin's side with a smirk.

"I guess I forgot how much people enjoy spreading a good tale," he laughed in response. "Not all of them are accurate though."

"Good stories never are." They shared a secret grin and Merlin briefly wondered what strange tales had been spread about him.

"Drugen!" Flora called his name from further down the hallway, spotting his head over the other students. He waved in response.

"I'll see you in class, Professor," Merlin said before he jogged to meet up with Flora. Salazar smiled and watched them embrace before walking his own way.

"Have you seen the posters?" Flora asked when she released him.

"I'd have been blind to miss them."

"So what do you suppose he will be teaching? I have heard rumors about the professor but some seem a little too crazy to be true. I haven't heard of him. Who is he?"

"From what I hear he was in Camelot occasionally and caused some mischief," Merlin gave her the bare bones just so that she wouldn't ask too many more questions about this character. "I'd imagine he will teach us how to defend ourselves if we are ever attacked."

"Like that woman warned us about at Samhain?"

"Possibly. Or if we are ever travelling alone and there are bandits. Or rogue Saxons."

"But the roads are clear of bandits now. There is peace in the five kingdoms."

"There are always people going against peace. And besides, as much as we wish it, peace cannot last forever."

"I guess you're right." They had made it into the common room now. "So are you excited to learn this new magic?" she asked as they both threw themselves in the large chairs by the window.

"Yea, about that. I can't make it." He frowned in false disappointment.

"What? But you don't have anything to do after dinner!"

"I do now actually." He kneaded the back of his neck with his hand. "That's what I was talking about with Professor Slytherin actually. Before the break I had mentioned to him how I wanted to explore the woods and see what was hidden away in there and he said that he was thinking the same so we made it a project of sorts. He gets to teach me extra little things about woodcraft while we catalogue the plants and find out how big the forest is. Maybe even make a map of it. And we had already decided that Tuesday and Thursday nights after dinner would be a good time since he is usually busy. So I can't actually make it to the class."

"But Drugen, you'll miss all the fun!" She seemed to have bought the story and felt terrible that her friend wouldn't be able to come to what promised to be an interesting elective. "Can't you ask him for a night off every once in a while?"

"I suppose I could try, but I am really excited to explore the woods too. You will just have to teach me what you learn in class."

"I'll remember everything for you," she promised and for a second Merlin felt a twinge of guilt at having to lie to her, but only a twinge.


	13. Chapter 13: The Return of Dragoon

Chapter 13: The Return of Dragoon

Merlin excused himself from dinner early saying he had to throw some things together to meet Professor Slytherin in the forest. He instead sprinted toward the large classroom he had cleared out for use. There was a small office attached that could also double as a storage room and that was where Merlin slipped into first. He switched out his Slytherin cloak for the robes he usually wore with this disguise. Then he concentrated, focusing on the age he was aiming for and released his magic. He grabbed a small scrying mirror that was on the shelf and double checked that the spell had worked. A grin broke across across his slightly wrinkled face. He did look younger than his previous version of Dragoon, and he certainly ached less, but his hair was still snow white and his beard was still just as long. Outside the room he could hear the students beginning to come in. They would probably start to wonder where the desks were, or for that matter where a lot of the items that made up a typical classroom were, but Merlin preferred a large empty space. As soon as it warmed up enough he would take these lessons outside. Or as soon as he learned how to create a dome of heat for his students. Now why hadn't he thought of that earlier?

Deeming enough time had passed, Merlin took a deep breath and exited the room. All eyes were immediately on him as he strode to the front of the room in front of the black board.

"As I am sure you have noticed there are no desks and no chairs so simply find somewhere to stand while we wait for the stragglers," Merlin announced before he folded his hands behind his back and closed his eyes. His talent for dramatics was getting the better of him but he just smiled. There was no harm in a little bit of good fun. As the sound of footsteps entering the classroom ceased, he once again opened his eyes. "Is that everyone then?" There was quite a lot of people in this room. He was pretty sure most of the school had turned up. And if all went well today, those who didn't come today would be here Thursday. Yes, moving the class outside would be a wise idea. With a flash of his eyes he shut the door to the classroom.

"Excellent. As you may know, I am Dragoon and I shall be teaching you the basics of battle magic. How to defeat your enemies and escape with minimal harm. Although some of the spells are not particularly difficult, the trick is remembering them all in the heat of the moment when your attention is being divided and you are under attack. For instance," he threw up a shield charm next to him. "This is a very simple shield. I'm sure most of the first-years can pull this off. But," he raised a warning finger and narrowed his eyes. "This simple shield will become harder to maintain as it sustains the blasts of enemy magic while you yourself are trying to cast other spells in rapid succession at the same time. Now does anyone have any ideas on how I could make the shield easier to sustain?" He looked around at the class, peering at them in a way he knew made him look more mysterious. One student finally raised a tentative hand. "Yes Mister Murdoch?"

The older Ravenclaw student gave a start at having been address by name. "Could you create a separate source of power for the shield to draw on?"

"Yes, very good. We call that an anchor," he explained. "One must pour some of their power into an anchor beforehand so that the shield can draw on that energy without exhausting you during the battle. Now does anyone have an idea on what would make a good anchor?" Merlin saw one of the Hufflepuffs smile as she raised her hand. "Miss Reyna?"

"A crystal perhaps?"

"Very astute," he complimented with a smile. "Miss Reyna here is not only correct, she has also demonstrated a very useful skill that will help her if she is ever in danger. The power of observation." There were mostly confused looks but a few more students had put the two pieces together. "If you would all direct your attention to the side of the room you will notice a rather large collection of crystals on the ledge. Miss Reyna has noticed these and came to the correct conclusion that they would be used today. One very important lesson in staying alive is taking advantage of your surroundings. You must be more aware than your enemy. Now if everyone can grab a crystal we will practice transferring your energy and anchoring your spells."

Merlin guided them through pouring their power into the crystal and directing the shield to take it's power from there. Then he had them all pair off and cast a very gentle energy spell at their partner. He walked around the room, offering extra tips to those still struggling and giving praise to those who had caught on faster. He noticed that some of the upperclassmen had fallen back into talking, having successfully anchored their shields and fired some blocked spells at each other. Merlin cast out his arm towards the blackboard and a piece of chalk began to write.

"On the board you will find some more advanced spells that will come in handy," he called out. "Practice the spells against your partner's shields and be careful not to let your shields drop. Remember you may have to add more energy to your crystal." The room was once again completely lit up by varying colors of magic being thrown across the room. The older students had switched to more advanced shields against the fireballs their friends were whipping at them and Merlin smiled at the friends bickering while they both cast spell after spell at each other, successfully maintaining their own shield while allowing only their own magic to pass through. Before long the bells chimed out the hour and the class turned to look at him sadly.

"Yes, that means the lesson is over. I want you all to keep your crystals. Many of you noticed how you had to replenish the supply of magic in your crystals; what I want you all to do is get in the habit of putting a little bit of your magic in the crystals every day. Before bed is often a good time but be careful not to drain yourself." A student raised their hand. Merlin nodded at them to speak.

"Is there a limit to how much magic the crystals can hold?"

"Yes, but you will not reach that limit. These crystals can hold a very impressive amount."

"Then how do know there is a limit?" a snarkier Gryffindor asked. Merlin grinned. Because he had found the limit. The crystal had broken apart and dissolved into dust under the weight of his magic.

"Because I know someone who shattered a crystal when they tried to pour their magic into it." He could see the questions on the tips of their tongues. "No that is a story for another time. Off you go. Shoo." He motioned for them to leave and even helpfully opened the doors with another flash of his eyes. Once they were all out of the room, he shut the door and locked it. Then, secure in his solitude, he dropped the disguise and sank to the floor in exhaustion. He had been more nervous about this first lesson than he let on. He was not cut out to be a teacher like Gaius was. It was nerve wracking having everyone's attention focused solely on him, listening to his every word. When he was walking around the room, helping people individually, that felt better. But all the stress and pent up nervousness was leaving him now to be replaced by exhaustion. He remembered that he ought to get back to the common room soon; he didn't want to be caught in the corridors after hours again.

On Thursday an even bigger group of students met him outside. He had put up a large dome of warmth that glowed faintly from the magic running through it and hid a smile at the looks of confusion that faded to pleasure when they crossed the barrier. A couple more observant students were starting to wonder why their teacher never seemed to have a staff or a wand and Merlin let them ponder how powerful he was. The feeling of awed respect is sometimes a nice feeling. Anticipating the increase of students, he had brought extra crystals for those students not at the first lesson. He did not, however, loan any to those who forgot, wishing to impress upon them the importance of always being prepared. They worked again on shields and Merlin taught them some new spells that cut like a dagger or punched like a crossbow bolt. He had set up targets for the more deadly spells so that the students were not placed in harm's way but at the end of class he had a surprise.

"Okay, now I want you all to line up and take out your crystals." They did as he instructed without any questioning. "Now one at a time, I want you to attack me. Pick your favourite spell and fire away. No holding back." One older girl raised her hand.

"Miss Stella, do you have a problem with that?"

"No, sir. Only, what if we hit you? These are harmful spells."

"I'm touched that you care. But I assure you, nothing you do will break my shield. And if you do manage, then I deserve the pain for not being as prepared as I should have." He gave them all one of those stern teacher looks and gestured for the first student to come forward. Gavin stepped forward and without hesitation shouted his preferred spell, his wand pointed firmly at Merlin's chest. Merlin wordlessly blocked the spell and sent a bolt of light back at the boy. Gavin gasped as it hit his chest. It didn't hurt, just a tingling sensation, but he hadn't expected that.

"Like I said on Tuesday, the reason battle magic is hard, has nothing to do with the spells themselves, but with the concentration and the fast thinking necessary." The class relaxed, some of them had been shocked to see a professor outright attack a student. "Never assume that your opponent will simply let you attack them. There is always a catch. Next." Continuing down the line, each student fired a spell of their choosing that Merlin immediately blocked and then tried to raise their shield as Merlin shot back. It only took a few students before shields began materializing immediately after they cast their spell. Some students used their advanced knowledge to fire their own spells through their shield and Merlin nodded in approval. As the students began to expect his spells, he turned to different methods of catching them unaware.

To one Gryffindor, he caused a snake to bite at his ankle to distract him. To a Hufflepuff, he summoned a small whirlwind behind to knock her off her feet. He used a blade of grass to tickle Anna's ear and conjured a ring of cold flames to encircle Mason.

As he finished surprising each of the students, he imparted a few words of wisdom and sent them back into the castle while he turned to wander the castle grounds a while. Simply enjoying the beginnings of a colourful sunset and being completely, well nearly completely, relaxed.


End file.
